Upside down lily
by DizzlyWib
Summary: Family murdered, friends lost, home taken away and language forgotten. Driven to insanity, one little girl's struggle to accept the truth of this bloody world. No pairing, OC, rated M for smut/lemons, angst and lots of bad language.
1. Prologue: Evidence

Prologue.

_17/08_

_Sis got really upset again today. She's been down for a long time now, and she finally told me why. We went to the near by forest, the one with the little waterfall and the willow tree. Our place._

_And she told me from the very start why she was upset._

_Around a month ago she realized how small she was in comparison to the whole world, and bit by bit it started getting into her head that there was absolutely nothing special about anything she did. I tried to tell her that she was special to lots of people, but she just stayed quiet._

_And then she told me; "If there are so many people in this world then there has to be something weird out there, someone who doesn't live a daily life! Someone who isn't an ordinary human"  
I joked with her and told her she was reading too much Haruhi Suzumiya, but she started going on about how all of that did make sense._

_So from here on out, I'm going to keep my eyes open with sis._

_In other news, we're going to Japan tomorrow morning. But I've got this weird feeling…I don't like it, I feel like we won't come back. I'm trying to ignore it but its really hard to, I mean its two in the morning and I can't sleep. Maybe I'm just excited._

_Well. I think I'll go to bed then…_

_- Yumiko_

_22/08_

_I don't know what to say…_

_I found it._

_The thing Yuriko sis was looking for! A real live vampire. I'm sure of it._

_Down the alley, I thought it would be funny to hide down there…me and sis were playing hide and go seek you see. So I hid down there and from behind me I heard someone moan painfully I looked around and I just couldn't believe my eyes! I saw him drinking blood, and his red glowing eyes. This was a real vampire._

So I scurried out and was about to tell sis but I thought that maybe I should get him to come to the house. Surely…if vampires…well, vampires are real so they mustn't drain their victims. Otherwise we would have noticed by now. So I'll reason with him and see what happens.

_._

_._

_._

_Okay! He's in the house but he seems really on edge and scared…I wonder wh…_

_---_

"And that's all we've got from it." The hunter stated, dumping the little pink notebook on the desk. It was covered blood, torn to bits.

"I see…well that was about as helpful as the little survivor out there."

There she was, looking blank and empty, the little girl who survived that horrific murder. The hunter's current apprentice was trying to be friendly with her, but she wasn't responding at all in the slightest.

"Well…we know that the girl out there is 'sis' and her sister lead that vampire into the house like a fool…now what to do with that girl…"

The hunters discussed it for a while and decided to leave her with a former hunter, one who had already taken in another survivor from a vampire attack. They would leave her there until they decided what to do with her.


	2. Conspiracies

_Summary: Her family was murdered, she was taken from her home, she lost many dear to her and has long forgotten her language. Insanity is taking over as she realizes exactly what's been going on in her mind for the past two years... From a naïve little girl to a broken woman who knows too much._

1. Conspiracy

Yuriko's story starts at the end, such an odd and tragic story.

She was born under the name Nozomi in the city of Dublin in Ireland, along with her identical twin sister Yumiko. She had her father's eyes, crystal blue with a silver ring around the edge of her pupil. Her sister Yumiko was always sick and was just weak in general.

Her mother was Irish and her father was Japanese but she never knew him. Nor did she ever properly know her Irish mother. She got involved with a dangerous crowd so she put her in foster care, her last act of protection for her children. She didn't want them walking down either of those bloody paths. The least she could do was change their future.

For fifteen long years she's lived with the Mulligan's. Anna, her mother. She'd never called her anything else. Anna was her mother, the one who looked after her since she was only five months old. She's never known her foster father either. But from what she heard, if John was still alive, she would have been a 'daddies girl.' She took the name Mulligan. Yuriko Mulligan, that was how she would introduce herself.

She also had her sisters, Aoife, Niamh and Yumiko.

Yumiko was her sister by blood her only living relative, her very dear younger sister. Unlike her older sister her eyes had a green-ish tinge to them, the only difference between the two and a very subtle one at that.

They were a lot alike in the sense that they were both shy and Introverted in public, though Yuriko tried to make the effort to be hyper and brave…to protect her little sister.

Aoife, her foster sister, had a fiancé, Jonathan and two sons, Jack and Lee. Lee was two years younger than Jack who was seven. And both were obsessed with Manga thanks to her and Yumiko's influence. The two adored and worshiped those two, thinking it was so cool to have twin aunties.

Currently they were on a holiday in a small town in the north part of Japan. They were all having a blast as it seemed, until Yuriko's body decided it would be an amazing idea to start PMSing. Needless to say she was incredibly pissed at this present moment and didn't want to go near anyone for another three hours.

Her stomach grumbled in disagreement and the little girl groaned. "…bleh…"

She walked over to her mirror and tied her long brown hair back into a loose kind of ponytail. Even with it tied up it still reached her waist. She fixed her pink plaid shirt and checked to see if the belt on her jeans was tight enough. Yep, all was in check.

Now to face her family after pissing them all off with her, oh what joy. Both of her nephews should be in bed, Yumiko was probably downstairs and she could only pray her older sisters and brother in law to be were drunk and in the mood to forgive her. Yumiko would forgive her no doubt, she loved her big sister more than anything and would do anything for her.

She opened the door and everything was deadly silent. Like in a horror movie, all of the lights had been turned off and the only sound was the soft rustling of the trees. Then she heard a splattering sound followed by something that sounded like dripping.

"M-Mum…? Y-Yumi…ko?" She called nervously, walking carefully down the stairs.

"_Hehehee…h"_

A heavy breathing, if this was a prank it wasn't funny at all. Well this was what she got for loving horror but being a chicken at the same time.

She reached out for her living room door but paused; something inside her gut was screaming for her to run and get help. But she wasn't sure if this was a prank or not… Her hand trembled, she knew something was wrong, very wrong…They wouldn't normally keep so quite…a giggle could usually be heard from either Yumiko or Niamh.

Yuriko, shook her head, squeezed her eyes shut and yanked the door open. The smell of blood hit her like a brick wall and she opened her eyes, "Yu-"

There was blood splattered all over the place. The walls, the couches just absolutely everywhere. Right smack bang in the centre of the room was a tall messy blonde haired man, his head was hunched over…Yumiko, and there was blood all over her mirror image.

"Yu…"  
She said no more as her eyes automatically began scanning the room for the rest of her family members. Niamh Mulligan, she was only twenty-four and had her whole life ahead of her and now…Her long black hair was in a tangled mess and her eyes hazy and blue were wide in her head and she looked petrified, her white tee-shirt was covered in blood, her arm was stretched out to the door, as if she was trying to run away from this horrendous scene. She was the first to go as it seemed.

Jack and Lee, one seven the other four. Jack was curled in a ball, his eyes…eye sockets? His eyes had been torn out, no they had been stabbed with his glasses which were thrown across the room somewhere.

Yuriko felt a sick knot curling in her stomach as she saw Lee, her other younger nephew, torn to bits, his innards spilling out of him in a gory tangled mess.

Aoife and Jonathan both of them were drenched in blood, some of it their own some of it belonging to their own children and sisters who they had desperately tried to protect but to no avail. They were trapped, the door was magically locked or stuck. Those who aimed for that place died, they learned that quickly.

Yuriko's mum…Anna…sprawled across the couch, soaked in blood, a long set of gashes engraved in her abdomen…but there seemed to be no flow of blood any more. It was like she had been thrown there.

None of them were actually bleeding anymore, their blood had long been drained from them.

Yuriko was frozen with fear, not only was her entire family dead, torn to bits right in front of her but was she hemophobic as well. An intense fear of blood. And there was a lot of it here. She felt sick to her stomach, she wanted to collapse to her knees but-

Her eyes were fixated on her sister, Yumiko, in her white top, she loved that top so very much. She was covered in blood, her long brown hair hanging over one side of her body while…that someone's head was hunched over her neck?…and that someone was covered in blood…he had a mess of dirty blonde hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in weeks.

He looked up, His eyes were blood shot, and bright red. He let go of the little brown haired girl, he was finished with her, all of her blood was gone. This new comer exited him. A young, healthy, pretty young lady. She looked much like the girl he had just devoured, twins hm? He muttered an incoherent, "Desert…"

Yumiko dropped to the floor, her eye's were wide and her lips were moving. "…run…away…run…run…" She whispered, this wasn't supposed to happen! All she wanted to do was show her sister that something phenomenal did exist, she wanted to make her big sister happy. But…now all of her efforts turned on her. She had murdered her family…this was all Yumiko's fault. "…ruh…n…"

Yuriko couldn't hear her at all, not only was it because her voice was so weak but her mind was running over and over the same words. _'I promised…that I would protect you…that we would always be together…like proper sisters should…I'm sorry…! Yumiko…! Everyone…! Why did this happen! No! No!'_

Yuriko couldn't move an inch, her body was planted on the ground. To terrified to move. Her eyes were fixated on Yumiko.

'_Twins should never be apart…one twin can never be alone…' _A saying that she had heard many times by now, ringing on and on in her mind, along with her broken promise. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She just wanted…to…

The man smiled a sick twisted smile. It was then that she saw them, fangs protruding clearly from his mouth.

'_He's…A Vampire? No…He's an insane person who thinks he's a vampire…he's insane! He killed my family!'_

"Good evening young lady…" The man murmured. There was a hoarse sort of ringing in his voice, it told Yuriko that he wasn't human at all… She was whimpering, crying and hyperventilating…All this blood was bad enough…but now a vampire? And she couldn't understand a word he was saying. All she understood was the 'Good Evening' part.

The man sauntered over to the hysterical brunet.

"Oh, you must be Yuriko-chan? Right? What on earth were you doing? Your friends were calling you for a long time…But you never replied! How mean of you…But I'm glad you came along…"

She had no clue what he just said, but it didn't sound like he was inviting her to a party of any kind, she was terrified. Vampires were real, and they were as horrific and bloodthirsty. Like the vampaneze in Darren Shan, she couldn't take anymore. Yuriko snapped and screamed loudly through tears. The man muffled her scream with his hand. "Shhh…You don't want the hunters to find me now do you…?"

She was still screaming and thrashing desperately, trying to get away from this bizarre place… "No! Let me go! Help! Please someone help me! Please! My family's been killed! Please help me!" She sobbed, wailing over and over.

'_All of this…It's some crazy nightmare? There's no such thing as vampires! I'm going to wake up soon right? And then I'll laugh and think 'I should stop reading Higurashi…' Won't I? Please…Someone anyone…Please…I'm begging…Stop it…Make it stop…'_

The man yanked her head back with her hair and opened his mouth but just as he was about to bite her.

"STOP IT!"

Almost in response to her plea there was a gun shot and the man jumped backwards, with Yuriko still in his arms.

"Miss- Oh fuck…!" He hissed, Yagari wasn't expecting there to be a victim in that thing's arms. She looked petrified beyond belief, well those memory erasing techniques wouldn't work on her that was for sure. "What are you going to do to that child?" He spat, glaring at the creature.

"Aw, This just so happens to be my desert…" The vampire sneered., licking the little girl's neck once before piercing her skin.

'_No, no, no, no, no, no! This isn't happening! It's a nightmare!' _She yelped, but the vampire covered her mouth once again.

Yagari shot the vampire in the shoulder causing it to fall backwards, let go of Yuriko and roar out in pain. She made no hesitation to run for her front door with everything she had, running for her life. She didn't understand! Vampire couldn't be real! No way in hell! But she had just been bitten by one, she had her blood drank by one. This wasn't a dream, she wasn't sleeping but it was a nightmare. Her worst nightmare.

Someone caught her shoulder and she screamed and began thrashing wildly, "No! No! Let me go! Let me…!"  
Yagari scoffed, "I'm not a vampire! Get a hold of yourself!" He snapped, this girl wasn't Japanese at all. Her eyes were wide and she was trembling. The victim of such a gruesome murder would resist having their memories erased and even if it did work they would be forever haunted in their dreams.

Now what? Regulations said to bring the victim to headquaters to be questioned and that was exactly what he was planning to do. "Listen carefully, I have to take you to the…err…police. Do you understand?" He said carefully, his English was never the best…so he could only pray she understood.

"…ah…I…" She muttered, nodding once.

How old was this girl? He hadn't a clue but she looked around twelve or so. "You won't have to go back there ever again, now come on. The vampire is dead." He said, placing a hand on the girls shoulder leading her along.

"…W-Wait! I have to get something!" She said, trying to run back into that house.

Yagari grabbed hold of her, "No! Come on…!" She struggled against his grip, trying desperately to get what she needed to get. Before stopping to realize she already had it, and just at that moment she felt pressure on her shoulder and passed out.

Kaien Cross had received a call from the hunters association, actually it was from Yagari, asking him to take in another victim of a vampire attack. She was fifteen years old and of Irish-Japanese origin. And how could he refuse, the poor girl had nowhere to go. He would welcome her with open arms just as he had with Zero. He only hoped she was a bit more…well…not as depressing as Zero was right now.

There was a knock at the door and as he opened it he smiled brightly, "Hello!" He beamed at the hunter standing in front of him who looked ticked off and tired. He was quite young, maybe only seventeen. "Master Yagari and the association head told me to bring this kid here, her name is Yuriko Murigan." He stated boredly, gesturing to a little brunette with bloodied clothes and a jacket that was too big for her around her shoulders.

"Thank you, I'll take good care of her." He said.

As Kaito tried to walk away and leave the girl with Cross, she tugged onto his shirt without a word. "…Hey…let go, you'll see me again." He said softly, bending down to her level. He actually had to spend a good hour with this little girl and several times tried to comfort her. It didn't _seem _to work but it apparently did. He was basically being his master's slave again. That Yagari was really abusing his power over him wasn't he?

The little girl let go and Kaito waved her off as he climbed back into the car. He really did hate it when he got all soft around little girls like that. God love her, loosing everything…and worse yet, they had to decide if it was safe for her to go back or not. He didn't quite understand it himself but it was either she was getting taken in by Cross or going back home. He honestly hoped they let her go home…she'd be in an awful state otherwise…

"Now then! Yuriko, come in." Cross beamed, the English language flowing easily from his mouth. Yuriko walked in and stood in the hallway. This man's English was…good but still heavily accented and a little hard to understand but she would just have to put up for it for a while wouldn't she?

She looked around, the house was big. Really big, she could see a few photographs on a table near by. A girl with long brown hair was wearing a sailor uniform, so he had a daughter? She didn't look much like him really.

"Yuriko, follow me and I'll get you a change of clothes dear." The man said, beckoning her forward with a wave of his hand. She did as she was told and followed him.

He lead her into a room, a very plain one at that. White walls with nothing on them and a wooden floor. A desk on the far left with a wardrobe at the back wall and a bed to her right with white sheets and a black head board. "Now then…I'll take that jacket will I?" He said, this man's name was Cross…Kaien Cross. He had told her that on the way here. He took the jacket off her and saw that most of the blood had been cleaned from her neck and she had a small plaster on her neck. "…that boy…did it for me…" She mumbled quietly, silently regretting not thanking either that boy or…what was his name? Yagari? No…not Yagari that was the man who saved her that boy's name was…

"I see…well I'll be a moment, wait here alright?"  
The door closed and Yuriko sat herself down on the bed. She wanted to cry but all of her tears were gone, it hurt so much…

Cross came back with a spare change of clothes, or more a nightdress. Yuriko had never worn one before, the weather in Ireland was always crappy, it was never warm enough to wear one. He passed it to her, "I'll leave you to get dressed then." He smiled warmly.

"Cross…?"  
The blonde haired man looked back to see a very sleeping looking Zero Kiryuu, he must have gone to the bathroom or something. "Ah, Kiryuu-kun. You should get back to-"  
"Are you fucking shitting me?"

Cross flinched, obviously something had happened to the girl.  
Zero looked at the door to the guest room which Cross seemed to be guarding, "Who's in there?" He demanded, glaring at the old man.

"Not now Kiryuu-kun. You get back to bed and I'll tell you in the morning."

The silver haired boy scoffed while hissing something under his breath as he trudged into his room and slammed the door behind him.

After a few more minutes Yuriko was in the night dress and blushing horridly. Out of all the times her uterus decided to start PSMing it had to be now didn't it? So she scurried into the bathroom, pretending that she needed to go and decided to do the one things girls did only in an emergency like this. Tissue. Embarrassing as it was she had absolutely no other choice than to use a lot of tissue as a make shift sanitary towel.

"Now then Yuriko, you try to get some sleep and I'll wake you in the morning to meet my daughter and…err…son." Cross said, using the word 'son' with reluctance, Zero would murder him if he heard him use that word for their 'relationship'.

Once again Yuriko was left alone, laying in her new bed.

Fresh tears started to plummet down her face as she silently sobbed to herself, she attempted to take deep breaths to calm herself down but it just didn't work at all.

There were so many emotions, all horrid and just pulling, wrenching at her soul, tearing her to pieces. What was she supposed to do?

Being here was only temporary…wasn't it…? She wouldn't be here for the rest of her life would she…?


	3. Stimulants Further South,Cramps Blood

3. Stimulants Further South, Cramps and Blood

"Mmmnngghh…"

Zero looked over at his roommate, frustration creasing his expression.

She rolled onto her back, her short chocolate brown hair falling behind her ear, as she lifted her finger to her thin lip. It still looked like she had only cut it yesterday, which she probably did because she just got that bored. If she kept that up then she would have no hair at all.

"Yuriko shut the hell up…" He groaned, she'd been mumbling in her sleep since they got back from patrolling. Usually it would die down, but tonight…it was just irritating the hell out of him. He wanted to go to sleep but Yuriko wasn't having any of that.

"Ah…mmm…" She moaned.

Zero grunted and was about to trudge over to wake the stupid brunette up, when he noticed something. Looking closely at the girl, she was nearly drenched in sweat, the ends of her soft brown hair sticking to her flushed face. And then she started arching her back, moaning over and over.

"Mm- mhh…seh……I- Ah! God…I-I can't…Nnn…"

Zero froze. At first he thought she was having a nightmare of some kind again, but now he knew exactly what sort of dream she was having, this wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. He suddenly felt a hot spike shooting through his body and down to his groin. "Shit…" He hissed, feeling a sudden all too familiar hardening and throbbing from under his thin pyjama trousers.

This was why he begged the chairman to let him have his own dorm, in case _this _happened. It wasn't healthy for him to be stuck in a room with a girl he was ridiculously sexually attracted to. Honestly, it was insane how sexy he found Yuriko sometimes and it wasn't just him…

Yuriko was panting heavily, her back was arching more urgently and she kicked the sheets off her, showing that her white 'pyjama top' (it was a vest top but Yuriko wore it to bed anyway, along with short shorts) had been lifted slightly, and she was pulling at it as well.

"Nnn, please…Ngh…Ah…"

This wasn't good. Zero was getting a certain image in his mind and no matter how much he tried to get rid of it, Yuriko would just wallop it back in his mind. And the more she moaned, the more explict it got, the harder, hotter and more agonizing his erection got.

"…Ah- Ahh!"

Zero couldn't take anymore of this, everything about her like this was setting him on fire.

Her short unevenly cut chocolate brown hair stuck to her sweaty, flushed face, her thick fringe pasted to her forehead, her long dark eye lashes, her small red moist lips parted seductively as she continued mewling in pleasure. Whatever or whoever she was dreaming about was obviously good at whatever he was doing to her.

Zero sucked in a short sharp gasp between gritted teeth as a lovely metal image hit him like a brick wall. _Him _doing things to her, touching her, tasting her…feeling her.

This would have been bad enough if his was human but being a vampire he was more…responsive to things like this. "Stupid…masochistic basterds…" He snarled. He started to find it harder and harder to ignore his animal instinct that was screaming for him to sedate the urgent throbbing in his pants.

Yuriko started panting more heavily, and tears started gathering under her long black eyelashes. "Oh god, please, I-I need to…Ah! Nnnn!"

Zero turned over and buried his head in the sheets, praying that Yuriko would shut up. No such luck, if anything she started moaning louder than she did before, panting more heavily. Why? Why did this have to happen tonight?!

"Ugh…" He groaned, kicking his sheets off him. He had to wake her up now.

And as if on que Yuriko woke up before he'd even gotten over to her.

"Ahh!" She moaned lifting her arms, as if to cling to someone leaning over her. …And since who ever she was expecting to be there wasn't her hands ended up hitting her in the face. "Wha…?" She questioned.

Zero didn't move an inch, Yuriko hadn't noticed him and Yuriko being the total brain dead ditz she was probably wouldn't.

"Dream…so realistic…Ahhh, how am I gonna- Zero!" She squeaked looking over at Zero.

Zero froze, okay maybe she wasn't totally brain dead. After all, she became fluent in Japanese within two years, she mixed up some of her Kanji and Hiragana but her oral Japanese was so good she even knew slang by now.

"W-What?" He snapped. Tensing immediately. Yuriko blinked, "What, What…" She grinned devilishly, noticing that poor Zero must have been _doing something. _That or his pyjama pants suddenly decided to create a rather embarrassing lump. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, Zero! You shouldn't get so excited in the morning!" She tittered, sitting up.

Zero looked at Yuriko confused. "Excited?" He breathed, Yuriko had her very own slang most of the time. But soon reason hit him and he knew what she was on about. Before he could voice his discovery Yuriko spoke once again.

"Translation: Why are you so aroused this early in the morning, honey~?" She murmured a bit more seductively then she meant to. Zero's ears burned, this girl knew far too much about how men worked and he cursed the person who ever thought her about the whole…'stimulant being sent further south' side of it. They would die slowly….and painfully…

"S-Shut up!" He growled trudged quickly back into his bed. Desperate to shut Yuriko up.

"O-Ho-ho-ho! No! I never thought you were the kind of guy who _touched himself_!" She retorted with pure amusement. But she knew he couldn't have been touching himself because he was standing up, she just wanted to annoy him like she did every night.

'_But what made him all…hard I wonders…'_

It was the same thing over and over with those two. Yuriko would annoy the hell out of Zero and more often than not she pushed him too far and he got extremely pissed. Like in a few minutes for example…

Zero flushed, he wasn't doing that! It was her fault!(Although he did touch himself a few times before, he was a guy damn it! He had needs!)

"It was you're fault! You having such a…dream!"

This time it was Yuriko who flushed as the images of her dream came back to her, and her thighs tingled at the memory. It was such a realistic dream…a very amazingly erotically realistic dream.

"Wh-? How-? What are you talking-"  
"Don't play dumb I doubt anyone would be begging for 'more' so much in a nightmare!" Zero sneered, she needed to take her own advice sometimes; Don't bare your fangs until you can bite.

"Well at least _I won't _have myself _evidence _after such a dream!" She hissed in pure childish glee.

Zero was getting sick of this little game now, "This is getting ridiculous!" he sighed, pulling the sheets farther over his head.

"Because you're loosing?!"

"No! Because-"

"YOU'VE GOT A PAINFULLY THROBBING ERECTION?!!" Yuriko bellowed at the top of her lungs, hoping that the people next to their dorm were awake. There was an outburst of laughter in the dorm, as an answer to Yuriko's hopefulness. The one next to them? One of the most gossipy boys ever. Oh she would have fun in school tomorrow.

Zero snapped, Yuriko knew exactly what to do to make him so exasperated. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!!" Zero roared, Yuriko had done it this time.

She jumped out of her bed and fled away from the dorm. Zero chased after her, how dare she! The whole school would be talking now, it wasn't like he cared…but…well…you know. You don't care but when the entire school knows its horrible anyway.

"You're too slow~" She sang gleefully.

"You're such a bloody child!!!" Zero yelled after her.

"A very well educated child!!!" Yuriko smiled, twirling around to stick her tongue out at Zero. It was then that she noticed Zero was no longer chasing after her, but instead had just darted back into his dorm.

"Don't you-!"

Too late, Zero had slammed the door shut and locked it.

"…Stupid kid…" Zero mumbled, trudging back into his bed. He left her out there all night, harsh but she needed to learn her lesson.

-

And so, in the end, Zero ended up not getting any sleep at all thanks to the over energetic, hyperactive, brainless Yuriko Mulligan. "I liked it a whole lot better when she was miserable" He grumbled.

Two years ago she came to live with Yuki and himself, she was always so quite mainly because of her inability to read, write or speak Japanese. Instead she smiled, it was forced, but a smile all the same.

Then later, after around a year when she could understand a good bit of Japanese she talked a lot more.

And then…now that he thought on it, after she cut her hair, she started doing the most insane things, and being so hyper and animated. Like once when it was snowing she started singing and yelling

And then ran outside _barefoot _in the snow, in nothing but her pyjamas saying she hadn't seen snow in seven years. She ended up with some kind of flu and never regretted it.

Pure childish insanity.

Yuriko was off in her own little world as usual, and _as usual_, the teacher had no idea.

She had developed a little trick to make it look like she was paying attention when she wasn't, a very long time ago. And she didn't need to pay attention in this class anyway, it was English, and since she _spoke _English she was free to do what she wanted to. In truth she was supposed to be helping the chairman, but…since she was helping him with _moon dorm _stuff she'd rather not.

Even after two years Yuriko was still scared of most vampires. Most, not all. She treated everyone the same. Except for Aido. He was just trouble. She treated him the way he ought to, like a spoiled brat. Who else did she know in the night class…

There was Rima, Shiki and Ichijo. Those were her three 'besties' in the night class. She adored those three and secretly admired Ichijo. She wasn't an obnoxious fan girl, she just thought that he was so super amazing and fantastic. She looked up to him. Kind of like a big brother.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted ever so rudely by her uterus that decided to contract.

"Fucking…month…" She hissed quietly to herself, clutching her abdomen. She despised period pains, they aways managed to make her feel sick. And being in pain and feeling nauseous wasn't fun at all.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the day for most of the students. For the golden trio of prefects it meant the start of their real duties.

"Hey stupid, we have to go." Zero stated, waiting for Yuriko. He knew that if he didn't drag her along she would skip out. Well…he wanted to too but still, Yuriko needed to suffer for what she pulled this morning. Sitting out in a corridor wasn't enough.

"I know! Just gimme a- Ow!" She yelped.

"Whats wrong with you?" Zero said coldly, glaring at the small brown haired girl. Hiding his actual concern for her.

He often watched over both Yuuki and Yuriko, but more Yuriko. She was unstable…and not just in the funny hyperactive way.

"Just a pain! You go I'll follow- shit…"

Yuriko normally got cramps before her period, but she wasn't watching the time and wasn't expecting it thus she needed to skip patrol today or Zero would get her back for sure.

He knew all to well what she was like around this time; pissy and sarcastic.

"You're not skipping, now move." He growled. No way was she skipping tonight, he was the one who wanted a break.

"Alright, alright!" Yuriko moaned, she stood up slowly, the pain shot through her gut like an artemis knife through a vampire.

"Mmmm!!!…Lets go!" She grinned, fighting the pain.

_-_

By the time Zero and Yuriko got to the moon dorms gate, the night class was already out and Kaname was already flirting with Yuuki, caressing her face. As usual Yuuki was blushing fifty different shades of red as Kaname was cupping her cheek affectionately…no he was fucking molesting it. Yuriko could sue him for that…; _He was molesting Yuuki-chan's face!_ She thought to herself, surprising a giggle.

Zero trudged over to Kaname and ripped his hand from Yuuki's face and glared at him icily.

"Class has started Kuran." Zero snapped. Kaname wrenched his hand from Zero's grip, Zero gladly let go of his arm.

"Heh, you're scaring me, Mister prefect." Kaname remarked sardonically. He bumped into Yuriko, who jumped back. He glanced at her. She glared straight back at him.

That man was the reason she was stuck here, because he and his little vampire council said so. She hated him so much it was unreal. She'd never hated anyone so much before, she didn't care if he was a pureblood or a vampire. He was dick. That was that.

"K-Kuran…Um…Please accept this!" Another day class girl was presenting Kaname with a gift, that basterd didn't deserve that! Yuriko thought somewhat enviously. She often wished she was given presents like that…

"Weather you like him or not is no business of mine, but you do understand right?" Zero was peering down at Yuuki, both eyebrows raised.

"Shut up, I understand that they're different from us…" Yuuki pouted, looking wishfully at the retreating pureblood.

"_Because the night class is not just an elite group of good looking students. There is a secret that the day class does not know. The night class consists entirely of vampires."_

Zero turned around to face the last of the day class fan girls.

"GO BACK TO YOUR FUCKING DORMS NOW! MAKING A FUSS WITH ALL YOUR FUCKING 'KYA, KYA, KYA!' WHO HAS TO WORK TO KEEP THINGS UNDER CONTROL?! HUH?!" He roared, scattering the last of the fan girls.

"You were late and you act like that? You fool!" Yuuki snapped, slapping Zero over the head.

"At least I'm doing something unlike _her!_"Zero snapped back pointing at Yuriko. "O-ho-ho~ Should I tell Yuuki about last nights events~?" Yuriko cooed, wriggling her eyebrows.

Zero felt his cheeks burn with the words from Yuriko's mouth. "Let just get going!" He snapped.

Yuuki cocked her head to the side, "…What? What happened last night?! Tell me Yuriko!"

-  
Zero was complaining about 'how there aren't enough students on duty as prefects.' and about how useless Yuuki and Yuriko were, to the chairman as usual.  
News flash; There was no one in the day class besides those three who knew about the night class and could wield an anti-vampire weapon.

Yuuki had artemis, Zero had bloody rose and Yuriko had eclipse. In other words Yuuki had a pole, Zero had a gun and Yuriko had a sword.

Seriously…what could Yuuki do with that pole? Pole dance the vampires to death? An image Yuriko didn't exactly want…

The chairman started into his epic 'pacifism' speech and Zero left swiftly afterwards.

"Well…I understand what Zero is saying. There are vampires who attack humans." He started. "If people find out the truth about the night class it would cause an uproar…"

Yuriko nodded in agreement, pretending she knew what the chairman was talking about…which she didn't.

She only started paying attention a few moments ago…she was busy musing about why Yuuki had a pole for a weapon, picturing her in many different hilarious scenarios. Like this one; Yuuki as a yankee, as in the Japanese delinquents not the…team thing for New York, loads of make-up piled on, long skirts and just very meising looking. Anyway, she was beating Kaname do death with her pole, cursing in all ways shapes and forms.

Yuriko giggled to herself but was cut off by the 'yankee' herself.

"Kaname is different! There are righteous vampires like him, so it is possible! Pacifism!" Yuuki said, trying to be aggressive like Zero but failing miserably…as usual.

"Things will be okay chairman! Leave it up to us, the guardians!" Yuuki chirped jumping out the window and calling; I'll be on patrol. Sometimes Yuriko felt like Yuuki was that mary-sue in some kind of movie. But she loved her anyway, as a sister.

"Hey! Wait…" Yuriko was about to follow Yuuki but decided on perhaps using a door rather than a window, as the familiar dizziness of vertigo took over her senses. "I'll use the door…" She mumbled, walking out the door of the chairman's office.


	4. Lucidity and Linguistics

Chapter 4 - Lucidity and Linguistics

Yuriko sat down by a window sill in the west wing of the school, on the landing of a staircase. She put her sword down beside her, unlike Zero and Yuuki, Yuriko's weapon couldn't exactly be hidden and thus she had to carry it around all the bloody time. It was just a plain black katana or Japanese sword. It was nothing special at all.

Come to think of it…

Yuriko shoved her hand in her pocket and pulled out a bracelet, a beaded one. Given to her from her friends before she left, on hers and Yumiko's birthday. One for her, one for Yumiko. All of her friends were on a tight budget or something but still…she loved it.

On that night, she hadn't been wearing it, it was in her drawer. Luckily the hunter that had brought her to the chairman's place had gotten it for her. She really did want to see him again mainly because she wanted to thank him…but also because she vaguely remembered him being kind of hot…

Yuriko's mind randomly conjured up the image of the very girl who had delivered that gift to her; "Niamh…" She tittered, remembering the tall choppy layered electric pink haired girl in her decora, as she saw her the last day before she left… Yuriko felt her eyes stinging and her throat forming a lump.

Yuriko was half Japanese her father was Japanese. But he disappeared, almost into thin air. She was fostered because her mother got into a bad crowd after the love of her life went missing, presumed dead, and put her in with a foster family, she admitted that if she kept Yuriko and Yumiko that they would end up with a hard life and her daughters deserved better than that. And so she put them both in Anna Mulligan's care. Saying that twins should never be apart.

Fifteen years…fifteen years they lived with Anna, they made so many friends…

All of her friends, she'd never see them again. A reality she woke up to each morning. Her friends probably thought she was dead, and she would rather keep it that way. Somehow she felt that if she left Cross Academy she'd miss it as well. Mister Emo-Angst (Zero) and Miss Mary-sue (Yuuki) as well. She was caught and there was nothing she could do about it. On a side note, everyone said 'Murigan' rather than 'Mulligan' it seemed like Japanese people had a bit of trouble pronouncing 'Ls'. She didn't exactly blame them, after living and speaking Japanese…she was starting to find pronouncing her Ls hard too…

"Well, well if it isn't Miss chibi-prefect." A flirtatious voice purred from beside her.

She immediately picked up her un-sheathed sword in defence, dropping her bracelet, "Fuck! Don't do that!" She hissed. Yuriko's fierce look turned into a scowl as it finally dawned on her that Aidou had called her by her oh-so irritating nick-name. She was called 'Chibi' for two reasons:

One. Apparently, a lot of the people in both the day and night class found her adorable.(So, Chibi as in cute)

Two. She apparently physically weak looking, like a twig almost. (Chibi as in runt/weakling)

Back to dear old Aidou, one of Yuriko's least favourite vampires in the night class. Out of all of them, he seemed to be the most arrogant. (After Kaname, obviously.)

Aidou carelessly picked up the little trinket. It looked cheep…honestly, girls these days. They had no taste.

"Language chibi-chama~" He cooed. Yuriko attempted to snatch it back. "Ah, ah, ah I only want to look at it~ Its so pretty~ Maybe I should add it to my collection~"

"Aidou, please give it back! Please!" She pleaded rather flustered, she hated him…oh she hated Hanabusa Aidou so much. He pissed her of to no end. That little thing was all she had left of her home…

"Aidou! Give it!" She hissed, losing her already short temper. Yuriko still couldn't get over how mind-blowingly attractive the night class students were, even if Aidou pissed her off she didn't deny the fact that he was attractive.

Kain was leaning lazily against the wall. Gazing out the window at the moon. "Hanabusa give it back…" He sighed lazily, not really bothered to scold Aidou. If he wanted trouble, fine by him. And it wasn't like Yuriko would tell. Nope. She would just forget about it unlike the other two prefects…

"Oh~ Is it really so important~" He sang, waving the bracelet around, ignoring Kain.

"Yes! Now give!" She snarled, more like a plea.

"I'll give it back if…" He grinned. He could smell her blood, he didn't know where it was coming from but he presumed she cut herself or something. "You let me lick you're paper cut" He finished

Yuriko stopped trying to snatch bracelet back, blinked and placed her finger under her chin.

"I ain't got no paper-" She felt her face go on fire. No wonder he was eyeing her, Aidou could smell her blood."Fuck…" She hissed, this was bad. Or was it…?

"Well then let me lick where ever your bleeding" He said, appearing from behind her with vampiric speed, "Or do I have to bite you instead?" He murmured seductively, licking her neck. Yuriko shivered in distaste, "L-Lemme go! A-Aidou! G-Get off me!" She stammered. She was losing the grip on her sword.

"Mmm…You like me licking your neck do you?" He whispered.

Nope, she didn't like it at all. She didn't like the fact a _vampire _was doing, nor that it was Aidou. (The guy she wanted to kick so badly every day, so annoying, god he was so annoying!) She was so…afraid. She wanted him off her _now. _

"N-no! Get off…s-stop…" She exhaled, he was strong, to damn strong for his own good.

"Now…where is the bleeding…?" Aidou breathed, his blood thirst rising to the fore. Yuriko flushed even more, grinning. Knowing all to well how this prissy blonde would react if he found out where said bleeding was.

"You really want to know…?" She murmured, playing along with Aidou for a moment. If Aidou wanted to know, then she'd tell him alright…  
"Yes…" Aidou breathed again, he was so darn thirsty and Yuriko smelt simply delectable…

Kain chuckled, he knew now where it was coming from. Kain wasn't exactly the most _innocent _of students in the night class, in fact he was probably the one with the most experience in sex. Oh the irony of being called 'wild' as a victim of circumstances...it suited him more than those girls thought it did.

"Do you know what happens to me once a month?" She smirked, looking around at Aidou.

"You…once a month…hmm-- AH!!!! AH! AHHHGH!!!" Aidou flushed ten shades of red, backing away from Yuriko, dropping the bracelet. Kain sniggered to himself, well that blonde moron got what he'd asked for. Aidou fixed his tie nervously, still blushing.

"W-Well then…Uhm…I-I…" Aidou couldn't bring himself to speak.

'_I basically asked if I could lick Yuriko's…her…her…Ugh…! '_

"Well? Still wanna lick it?" Yuriko grinned, bending down to pick up the bracelet and then putting her hands on her hips, smirking merrily at the flustered looking blonde who seemed to be trying to gather the shattered remains of his earlier pride.

Aidou scoffed. He trudged angrily off down the stairs, blushing like crazy, and mumbling about 'Stupid Yuriko…'. Kain, perceptibly followed him.

"Nice one, Chibi" He chuckled, Kain had never seen Hanabusa so embarrassed before, it was quite hilarious. Only two people he knew could do that to his blonde cousin.

She stuck her tongue out at Kain and scurried up the stairs, only to slip on a step and fall as her chin whacked of the step and causing her teeth to clamp down on her tongue. "Ow…I just bit my tongue…" She moaned.

Kain sniggered yet again and as he walked down the stairs and out of Yuriko's sight. She sat up and shoved the small bracelet in her pocket as deep as it could go while walking up the stairs, _carefully _this time.

"Ha! You 'shant defile me again! Oh wooden ones!" She said, pointing at the stairs, once at the top landing.

"My, my, I didn't know you had such a wide vocabulary Miss Mulligan." A smooth voice said coolly from behind her. There was a tiny hint of familiarity in the voice, only one person she knew could speak English almost better than she could, and without an accent and pronounce 'Ls' properly.

"K-Kuran…senpai…!" Yuriko jumped, reluctantly using 'senpai'

The tall handsome dark haired brunette was raising an eyebrow at her. He knew English like the back of his hand so he could understand ever insult and curse Yuriko hissed under her breath. She learnt that the hard way. She was suddenly very irritable…

"Good evening" He greeted, politely. But Yuriko could tell that he would much rather ignore her.

"Uh- Good…evening, Why are we speaking English now?" Yuriko asked, cocking her head to the side.

Was he mocking her? Maybe…

"Would you prefer me to speak Irish? Conas atá tú?" He smirked.

Yuriko looked at Kaname dumbfound, The man could speak Irish. Oh he was definitely mocking her now, if she could she'd have slapped him. But she couldn't. At all. Without having the whole night class hunt her down and kill her, and Kaname would most likely give them permission to do so if they wished.

'_Aw darn it! Now what language am I supposed to insult him in?! Latin?!'_

He was getting a kick out of this. She could tell by that arrogant smirk on his face, she scowled. "Eh…breá, can we stop now, you have classes don't you?" She said, walking swiftly past Kaname, flicking her wrist at him.

"Indeed…oh and miss Mulligan. Isn't there a saying; ignorance is a heavy burden? Perhaps you should listen to that advice once in a while." He said, smiling incriminatingly at the shocked looking little girl. Oh he knew that girl way too well, he could see straight through her. She knew more than she liked to let on, and often denied what she knew. A fool of a girl. But Kaname sometimes was mildly amused at Yuriko's fearless stupidity. But most of the time he avoided her, she was no more valuable to him than a mere pawn. She was mildly useful to him, but very important to his Yuuki so he kept her in the game. The only use she had was like that of a comfort blanket. And sooner or later she would start tearing at the seams and thus become totally useless to him. At which time he would let her do as she pleased, if anything at all.

-

Yuriko wandered the school, her hand in her skirt pocket, gripping that bracelet tightly.

"…But don't forget," Yuriko heard a voice say. She paused for a moment.  
"Although they're following the rules that the humans established because of you, the pureblood, there are some who will still listen to others."

'_Way to go captain obvious.' _Yuriko thought. Even _she_ knew that some of the night class students couldn't care less if they broke the rules. And sometimes those students got away with it. If they were lucky enough to have Yuriko catch them. She wasn't exactly…aggressive and often let the 'boisterous' night class students off with a mere warning. She just wanted to get them out of her sight A.S.A.P. so she could do more fun things. Like climbing, she was ridiculously amazing at climbing. She could actually scale the walls of the school and climb up to the roof…so long as she didn't look down.

"I know that, Ichijo" That was defiantly Kaname, no question. The arrogant tone of a smooth, controlled voice that was guaranteed to set Yuriko's teeth on edge.

So 'captain obvious' was Takuma Ichijo. Vice presedent of the moon dorms and one of Yuriko's best friends at the academy. They met back when the night class was set up, he was asked by the chairman to give Yuriko katana…fighting lessons. It involved wooden sticks and sword fighting, so she just called it sparring like he did. Anyway! She had a basic knowledge of how to speak Japanese but she remembered being very, very bad at it. And Ichijo was also asked not to talk to her in English, tempting as it was. She soon found out how lovely he was and somewhere along the road they ended up becoming friends. (Somewhere else on that road Yuriko had a bit of a wee crush on him as well, sure who wouldn't?)

But she knew all too well how much of a responsible person he was. She looked up to him quite a lot, he could do a million things at once and hardly ever get properly frustrated or pissy for that matter. She just couldn't picture a pissed off Ichijo at all…

"Ah, Yuriko-chan?"

She froze and came out from behind the pillar sheepishly as her musings were interrupted, "Hello." She giggled, waving at Ichijo. The blonde smiled brightly, keeping one eye on Kaname.

"Thanks for patrolling ever night like this. Oh! I forgot the manga you let me borrow I'll give it back tomorrow, is that okay?"He grinned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ichijo, Whats the matter?" Kaname called, that little brat wasn't leaving Yuuki all alone to patrol again. Another irritating thing about her, she loved to dump Yuuki much more so then Zero when it came to prefect duties...

"Coming Kaname!"

"Uh- N-No problem! Bring it tomorrow…I'll uh, Continue patrolling then!" She tittered, walking towards the nearest door only to trip gracelessly over her own feet then catching herself with her other foot, while loosing her shoe.  
"I-I'm okay!" She called back to Ichijo, giving him a thumbs up as she fumbled around with her foot to put her shoe back on. Unlike the rest of the school, Yuriko didn't wear those sepia boots. Nope. She wore her own pair of black flats with a small bow on them. Why? Because she could get away with it. That's why.

Ichijo chuckled lightly, waving at the little girl, "Okay then. Goodbye."

Takuma soon caught up with Kaname. "Well? How is her 'condition'?" The pureblood asked casually, like he was oblivious to how his blonde companion hated that subject.

"She's calming down after meeting a few friends…she hasn't been having as many break downs as she used to." He replied steadily, as he felt his heart sinking into a bottomless pit. He hated talking about this, Yuriko's 'condition' as in her mental condition. She wasn't exactly the most sane of people, she would often breakdown crying. She had lost everything she had ever known and it was surprising to see that she could pretend that she was alright like that half the time. Whenever she actually did breakdown around him…he would put her to sleep and erase her memories. The first time he did it…it was because he was panicking and didn't know what else to do. And after Kaname had found out, he told him to do the same time every time she did that. And so he followed through with those orders.

"Keep a close on her…" Kaname muttered as they approached the classroom.  
"As always." Ichijo replied with a false smile. In honesty…he would look after her like this anyway even if Kaname didn't order him, but the fact that the pureblood did made him feel almost guilty for acting like a normal good friend to that girl.

-

Yuriko scurried back inside and started to hit her head off the nearest wall, "You. Fecking. Kluzy. Idiotic. Ridiculous. Imprudent. Maladroit-"

"What the hell are you doing?" A cold voice snapped from behind Yuriko. She knew it was Zero and continued smacking her head off the wall. "Nothing, just trying to give myself a brain hemorrhage…You?" She replied nonchalantly as if she was talking about the weather. Yet again she had let a night class student off with a warning…and from how pissed Zero had sounded said student had just done what Yuriko told him not to do.

"Don't. Then I'll have more work to do." Zero grunted, and continued walking down the corridor.

"Oh god forbid you having to do work…Ow!" She yelped as she hit her head off an unseen nail in the wall causing her to get a small cut. "Oh yay. Zeeero-" She turned around to see that Zero had disappeared. "…is gone. Woo." Yuriko shook her head and skipped off to the nurses office, to find herself a bandage of some kind.

"Bandage…bandage…band…Heh…sing…Heheh…I like singing" She mumbled to herself. She loved singing, she did it almost all the time. Or hummed at the least. One of her friends in the day class had given her one of her old iPods as a new one had come out. Needless to say Yuriko was over the moon and was constantly requesting for that friend to download new songs for her seeing as she had literally no technology in her house…

Yuriko eventually found a bandage and waltzed out of the nurses office, humming happily to herself as she glanced outside, there were clouds over the horizon. "Hmm, wonder if it'll rain tomorrow…" She mused aloud.

But Yuriko knew that chances were the rain would pass by as it normally did. Much to her disappointment.

She loved the rain, or learned to love it. Because when you live in Ireland you have no choice but to like it.

It rained almost every single day during the summer and autumn. Then it would be clear skies for winter and spring. But around here, it never normally rained, something to do with the aspect…or something… And soon, she suddenly found herself humming 'Lady Marmalade' for no reason at all.

"…Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?, Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?" She sang. Yuriko never knew what that meant, but apparently it was kinky.

"Non merci, mais grâce à l'offre. Pourquoi diable êtes-vous parler français? Je pensais que vous ne l'espagnol…" A lazy voice mumbled behind her, the French rolling of his tongue like it was his native language. Yuriko twirled around. "Shiki? What did you just say?" She sang, blinking stupidly at the brunette. Shiki shook his head. "Do _you _even know what you just said there?" He droned, shoving both hands in his pockets, smirking.

"Uh…Something kinky?" She shrugged, thinking -as she always did when Shiki smirked- that he looked extremely cool. Shiki and Rima were another pair of friends to Yuriko, and they would constantly ask her if she wanted to model with them. Something about her being entertaining and constantly having pocky on her person. Also they said she would get in easily even without their help, flattering to say the least. She kept that idea in the back of her head…in case she didn't get what she wanted in collage…whatever that was…

When it came to Shiki, Yuriko quite liked his 'Meh, whatever…' attitude. And his hair, oh my god his hair. She loved it. Of course, he wasn't always 'meh' if ever he was around while Yuriko was getting harassed he would defend her, - and though he seemed to be acting nonchalant in her eyes - Shiki was actually feeling the instincts that likened to an older brother.

That was how he saw it really; Yuriko was the little sister, and Rima and Shiki were her siblings, along with Ichijo of course. Although he knew that she was much, much closer to Ichijo than she was with the two models and he accepted that. He didn't mind.

He sighed to himself, shoving the blank thoughts from his mind. "You said; do you wanna sleep with me tonight?" He said, leaning against a wall, closing both his eyes.

"Oh. Do you?" Yuriko said, grinning as she wriggled her eyebrows suggestively at the brunette.

He opened one eye and scrutinized the girl. Her legs were well toned, her school skirt was at the length it should be…though he knew how nice of an ass she had from the time he had seen her wandering around in her P.E clothes. And he could tell she also had a lovely pair of breasts. She had a cute face and her eyes were stunning…the only problem he had with her was her height. Then again…

"…Sure. Where to?" Shiki asked casually, pushing himself off the wall. He wasn't really going to have sex with her, that'd be incredibly weird…for him, the guy who had to sleep with people for work. It was complicated, not even he understood but he had to sometimes use sex as a way to bribe some companies to take him on for a photo shoot. He needed the money…for his mum.

"…I kid, Shiki-chan. I kid." She said confusedly, waving her hand a little bit.

"Damn…" Shiki smirked, leaning against the wall again as he held one hand out, looking at her expectantly. She sighed dramatically as she pulled a packet of pocky from her pocket.

* * *

Translations:

Irish: Conas atá tú? - How are you?

Breá - Fine

French: Non merci, mais grâce à l'offre. Pourquoi diable êtes-vous parler français? Je pensais que vous ne l'espagnol… - No thank you, but thanks for the offer. Why are you speaking French? I thought you did Spanish…

If the French bit is wrong I BLAME GOOGLE TRANSLATE. :D


	5. Everyday Life

A/N: I don't own Vampire Knight! The only things I currently own are my bawx, Yuriko and copies one to nine of Hino Matsuri's vampire knight~  
PHEW.

Okay so I'm re-writing Upside-down lily. Why? Because this story was a spur of the moment idea and its incredibaly disjointed and confusing. Hence forth I'm re-writing it to make more sense, well re-writing some of the earlier chappies because I sucked at writing a year ago and I' finicky...also I'm super duper bored and I enjoy procrastinating. :D

* * *

Chapter 5 - Everyday Life

"…Wake the fuck up…Jesus…" Zero groaned at his sleeping dorm mate - who at the moment was dead to the world. Oblivious to the furiously frustrated boy, brushing both hands though his hair in aggravation.

"Yuriko! Wake up!" He yelled loudly, she mumbled something happily and turned onto her back.

Zero growled, trudged over to the sink and filled a glass with freezing cold water. "Yuriko. Last warning. Wake up. _Now_." He snarled, holding the glass of water.

"…aher…lahhhhderrr…Niiaaahh…" She mumbled sleepily.

Zero said nothing as he tipped the glass over at a ninety degree angle, pouring its contents all over Yuriko's face.

Yuriko jumped out of her bed and started spluttering, wiping her face furiously. She whipped around and paused for a moment, before blinking and scowling yet again, "Dude! What the fuck! You're such a dick face shitass skank!"

He let out a low growl, causing Yuriko to give him a funny look and back away, "Easy tiger."

Zero froze, did he seriously…growl? He shook his head, "Get dressed and hurry up."  
Yuriko pouted and stuck her tongue out at Zero as he turned his back to walk away. He set the glass down on the sink and left the room.

Yuriko was left on her own to get dressed. She changed into her uniform and literally glanced in the mirror, brushed her teeth, then brushed her hair and left. It wasn't like she was rushing…she just didn't like paying attention to her appearance that much. She hated staring at herself in the mirror anyway…it was more paranoia than a hatred of herself. She was pleased with the way she looked and felt no need to try look 'pretty', from what she was told she was cute. Cute as in puppy dog cute. Or at least that was what she gathered from the way all of the girls - as well as some of the guys- cooed; "Your so cute!" at her all of the time. The way she dressed normally wasn't very particular either. Just a pair of jeans and a top or tee-shirt, with a jacket thrown into the mix. She never made an effort with her appearance even if she was going out, make-up was out of the question with her. She hated the stuff, it was just fancy ass face-paint really. Your covering your face with a bunch of chemicals and powder. Why bother?

She remembered the time her sister Niamh would tie her to the chair…literally and doll her up. Just because she was bored. Actually…she had a dream when just that was happening, she'd thought that the person trying to wake her for Niamh for some strange reason. Like the nostalgic fool she was, she started thinking over it as she walked out of the room, walking silently beside Zero.  
"Your awfully quiet this morning…" Zero muttered, walking beside her as they made their way out of the building.

"What do you mean by that? I hardly ever talk in the morning because my brain is still half asleep." She stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The boy sighed and shook his head, dismissing the subject. She would usually say something to him while they walked to school but she was being really quiet this morning. Maybe she didn't get enough sleep?

"Yuri! Wait up!"

Now; there were only two people in Cross Academy who were allowed to call Yuriko 'Yuri'. They were Nene Nadashiko and Kumiko Fujisaki. All three of them together were well known for the havoc they occasionally caused inside and outside the school.

Nene was a cry baby, she cried over absolutely everything. But you'd never guess that she was the evil master-mind behind all of their exploits. She was really small, but not quite as short as Yuriko was. Short blonde hair that swept past her shoulders, usually tied up in piggy tails with some of her hair at the back left down. Big blue eyes, her entire appearance screamed innocent little girl. She didn't even have a fringe to hide those cute, blue eyes…they could convince anyone she was naive.

Nene would come up with the method and Kumiko would be the one to set it all up, her family was filthy rich. Well Nene's family was rich as well but compared to the Fujisaki fortune…it was nothing. And of course it was how they got into Cross Academy.

Kumiko was ridiculously smart and had curves that every female teacher in the school would die for. Long black hair that felt past her waist, in long deadly straight strands, and bangs that swept past her ridiculously long eyelashes, deep brown eyes and really tall almost as tall as Zero himself. She was the seductress of the group, but she only had eyes for her Yuriko…who didn't swing that way but one day…the minute she became lesbian she was so jumping her.

"Good morning- EEEEEEE!" Nene screamed, sprinting up to the school as soon as she saw Zero, who shook his head. Same reaction every time. The minute Nene saw Zero, she would sprint as far away from him as possible, it was the only reason she wasn't in the same class as Yuriko and Kumiko.

"God…she's so over dramatic. Well that's Nene for you, how are you this chilly morning?" Kumiko said, smiling at Yuriko.

"Alright actually, and yourself?"

They started their usual chit-chat while Zero walked on ahead of them. Kumiko was giving him daggers again, he knew she hated him more than anything else but did she really have to let him every time he was within even ten feet of her? It was just really irritating and that was the last thing he needed in his current condition…

Yuriko ate lunch with Nene and Kumiko on the roof as usual. It was their spot and if someone else was up there Kumiko would scare them into getting off their turf. Or so she said, but no one was usually up there anyway because you needed a key up to the roof, and only the chairman and prefects had that key. Luckily Yuriko was one of those said prefects who abused her power far too much for her friend's sakes most of the time.

"Oh yeah that reminds me," Kumiko said mid-giggle, reaching into her pocket. "Here, I already got Nene one so I thought that you should have one too so you'd stop borrowing me." She smiled, handing Yuriko a small iPod-nano. Yuriko loved music, and she was constantly borrowing Kumiko's iPod so she decided to just go and get her one. She knew Nene would sob if she didn't get one so…she ended up getting them both one.

"Nyaaahahahaaa! Thank you so much Kumi!" Yuriko grinned, lunging at her friend to hug her.

"Its nothing…" Kumiko sighed, feeling herself blush a little bit.

"I've already put the songs you like on it, but if you ever want more just give me a list and I'll get 'em for you."

"Oh…oh…I just had the best idea ever…" Nene was grinning. With that glint in her eyes, as she began laughing like a mad scientist. When Nene got an idea she'd run with it right through and drag her girls with her. To her, they were the wicked trio of Cross Academy, like the golden trio in Harry Potter but twice as cool. (She was a Harry Potter nerd you see)

"Right here's what we're going to do…-"

As if summoned by the voice of reason the bell rang, "W-What? No! No it can't be!" Nene gasped, bursting into tears, falling to her knees. "No! NO! I neeed to tell them my plan-…WHICH I FORGOT!" She sobbed loudly.

Yuriko sighed, "And I really have to go because I have miss Kuze next so…sorry." She waved at Kumiko who glared right back at her, getting Nene to stop crying was like getting Zero to smile. Impossible. "Here, catch." Yuriko said, throwing the keys at Kumiko who caught them, "Lock the door when you're done calming Nene down and give those keys back to me dear!" She called, running down the stairs.

Miss Yashu Kuze. The most evil day class teacher…in Yuriko's eyes. For some reason that old bat absolutely hated her with a passion. She had her for maths and Spanish. The two subjects Yuriko just so happened to be terrible at. At first Miss Kuze used to like Yuriko, but then she started asking her 'too many stupid questions' and started hating her. And by now Yuriko just shut up in her class, took notes and asked Zero or Yuuki for help later. Preferably Zero, seeing as Yuuki couldn't understand half of the subjects herself…

"Miss Murigan."  
That…old, high-pitched voice… "…Y-Yes Miss Kuze?" Yuriko turned timidly to look at the small, old, grey-haired wicked bitch of the west…end of the school. "No running in the corridors." She stated coldly, sweeping past her ignorant student.

"…yes'm."

Maths today would be a nightmare indeed…

It was awfully quiet on the corridors at night, and Yuriko couldn't help but feel extremely paranoid on nights like these. Usually she would try to patrol along side Zero or Yuuki, but tonight…Zero just wouldn't let her and she couldn't find Yuuki so she would just have to make due with trying to keep herself calm.

It wasn't her fault she was paranoid…on that night two years ago it was so quiet as well so…it made her feel insecure and alone.

'_Its okay…your in school…nothing can hurt you-'_

'_Are you sure? Didn't you think the same thing while you were in that house…?'_

Yuriko started hyperventilating a little, her pulse quickened and her heart rate started speeding up. What if something did get into the school? What if something happened to Yuuki and Zero? Then what? No…no she needed calm down, the chairman wouldn't- but what if…They had weapons for christ sakes! They were well able to use them as well…Yuriko's paranoia continued. She couldn't help but worry…she needed to find them.

She started walking around, her pace quickening as she became more and more uneasy about this whole thing. "Zero! Yuuki? Are either of you-!" She jumped as she heard gun shot, without a second thought she bolted down the stairs.

When she arrived on the scene she was more than glad to see that Zero and Yuuki were perfectly fine, "You're late, Miss Mulligan."

She wasn't so glad to hear that voice however, "Well excuse me for being on the other side of the building, doing my job." She remarked, giving the pureblood an irritated look. Kaname glared at her and looked over at Yuuki, "I hope this didn't scare you, Yuuki." He said sweetly, forcing Yuriko to resist the urge to kill him for being so haughty. Oh she hated arrogant people like him so much.

"O-Oh! Don't worry, he actually didn't hurt me!" She exclaimed, smiling dreamily as she watched her beloved walk away.

Yuriko sighed and made her way over to Yuuki, "Where did he hurt you?"  
"Oh, Aido-senpai was the one who hurt me! Not Kaname-senpai."  
"Yuuki say senpai one more time…"  
"Sorry." Yuuki grinned, showing Yuriko her injured hand. It wasn't too deep but it would need a small bandage.

Suddenly she sensed a vampire from behind her, without thought she whipped her sword out and held it at the vampire's neck.  
"Ahh…you've got a really scary look on your face Yuriko-chan…i-if you wouldn't mind putting that sword away…"

"T-Takuma?" Yuriko gasped, realizing she was holding her razor sharp blade just inches away from her friend's neck. "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, putting her sword away.

"A-at least your reflexes are becoming quicker, right?" He smiled nervously.

"Lets go, we still have to deal with those girls, this place reeks with the smell of blood its making me sick." Zero hissed, "The fact that they like this smell is proof that they're animals."

Yuriko stomped very animatedly over to Zero and hit him over the head with her still sheathed sword. "Dude! Not in front of Takuma, your such an asshole!" She snapped.

"Whatever…" He sighed, storming off, rubbing his head.

"Its alright Yuriko-chan, I understand how he feels. Its you I can't quite figure out, what in the world made you pull that little stunt there, huh?" The blonde smiled down at her.

Yuuki had already chased after Zero, demanding to know what was up with him. Typical Yuuki, Yuriko thought absently.

"Oh…uh…"  
"The truth please."

Yuriko grimaced, it was impossible to lie to Takuma Ichijo, she figured that out a long time ago. "I was being a paranoid moron before I came here, you know when the corridors are really quiet? It kind of freaks me out a little bit." She admitted quietly.

"Well you've got nothing to be afraid of around here. You know I'll come running if I hear you screaming." He smiled at her.

"Lay off the shojo manga please."

Takuma laughed sheepishly, "Well…I did kind of steal that quote but seriously, I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you."

And so Yuriko couldn't help but smile at the blonde, "Oi! Yuriko come on!"  
She turned to see a fairly pissed of Zero having to carry one of the unconscious girls, "Yeah, yeah! I'm coming…you little fecker…" Yuriko mumbled the last three words, walking towards the pissed of prefect.

Takuma sighed to himself and left Yuriko to her duties.

He knew all to well how paranoid she could get when it was much too quiet, and honestly he'd tried getting out of classes a few times to keep her company. Silence was one of the few things that could trigger 'an attack' for Yuriko. It was what he called her break-downs, well he and Kaname. It was more like a cross between a mental breakdown and a panic attack. And he would never forget the first time it happened. On her first day of school they were all asked to introduce themselves and state where they were from, naturally Yuriko reluctantly told them she was Irish. And of course the students were curious and started asking questions, and for the whole day she tried to keep her re-opened wounds from bleeding. Until she ran into Takuma who noticed she was acting a bit off. She started telling him what was wrong…and then she started rambling on in some kind of insane mantra. He couldn't stop her, she was in almost tears while babbling and then Kaname showed up. He immediately told Takuma to erase her memories of this day and to put her to sleep. The noble did as he was told, and from then on Kaname ordered him to do the same thing should something like that ever happen again. So far everything seemed fine with her, she was getting better. But like she said on that first breakdown, whenever she began to pick herself up life she would always fall back down. One of the many things Takuma was worried about when it came to Yuriko was…well how much she could persevere with getting up every time she was knocked so very far down.

Zero swung the door open, his eyes closed sombrely. Today seemed so unnecessarily long…

"GET OUT!"  
He was snapped out of his musings by Yuriko. She was standing in front of him her, wearing nothing but her panties. She was small in most aspects…except for her generous curves. They weren't outrageous but…they were still damn sexy.  
And she was currently failing in covering herself because Zero had a most fantastic view of her breasts. He must have stood there for three seconds, maybe more before he flushed and slammed the door shut muttering an apology.

It wasn't as bad as the time he walked in on her while she was in the shower…he remembered it way too clearly.

No one had told him that she was in the shower so…seeing as he thought no one was using said shower, he may as well have one. He walked in and stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes landed on a naked, soaking wet Yuriko Mulligan. Her short brown hair was sticking to her face and flicking out, there were little droplets of water slithering down her body in a way that made Zero's body trigger a reaction typical of a boy his age.  
"…oh…shit…!" He hissed, this wasn't good. The more he tried not to think of Yuriko naked the more he thought of her naked. And wet…and sweaty…  
"Damn!"

This was stupid, ridiculous even. He was a pathetic excuse for a guy. He got ridiculously aroused by the thought of a naked girl, Yuriko Mulligan for crying- okay maybe every guy in his class found her kind of sexy but his reaction to her was just excessive!

But of course…that was sexual attraction for you. Zero didn't love her, hell he didn't even like her all that much. He just put up with her most days. However there was one aspect of her that the more animal side of him adored far too much and that was her unconscious sex appeal. Yes she was small, her body in general was quite small and frail looking. Her breasts on a normal sized girl would be…well normal sized but on her they looked almost twice as big. Due to dancing for ten years her stomach, legs and ass were really well toned. She had a cute face and the most stunning eyes. Her appearance screamed model, and several times Rima and Shiki had asked her to model with them…  
Suddenly the door Zero had been leaning on swung open causing him to fall backwards on top of Yuriko. "…god…your so stupid…leaning against the door knowing its going to open…and your welcome by the way. My bosom just cushioned your fall…" She stated, pushing Zero's head off her chest which hurt a little.  
He flushed and stood up abruptly.  
"W-Whatever…now get the fuck out." He snarled, aggressively tearing his jacket off as Yuriko made some kind of alarmed noise and scurried out of the room.

Zero was so damn pissed off. Not only was he ridiculously hard but the object of his sexual attraction happened to share a dorm with him. Now…one wouldn't expect Zero Kiryuu of all people to go so low as to masturbate. However. He, like every other single seventeen year old male, did so…on a pretty regular basis. What made it worse was his little 'condition' which heightened his senses. All of them, particularly the sensation of touch and pleasure. If he didn't do anything about it, that godamned erection would be there all night, he wouldn't sleep and god knows it may even been there to greet him in the morning. He hated being a vampire…he really did.


	6. Idiopathic

A/N: Vampire Knight doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the incredible Hino Matsuri-sama-sensei-dono. I only own Yuriko and her tortured souuul~! MAHAAA!

Warnings: Zero is a healthy seventeen year old male with a ridiculously overactive sex drive due to the fact he is a vampire. And because this fic is rated M I felt it necessary to get him to do what any normal seventeen year old without a girlfriend does on a regular basis. Thats right children, he's masturbating! I have warned you; if you don't like, I made a line thing where it ends so you can skip it! :3

Otherwise; Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6 - Idiopathic

"Uh…hah…Mmhmm…" The silver haired boy buried his face in his pillow again, his whole body nearly convulsing under the sheets as he started picking up the pace. Zero's hand was curled around his member beneath the thin fabric of his loose slacks and boxers, he knew better than to go commando in the same room as someone as nuts as Yuriko. He was doing what every male of seventeen did on a regular basis. Every now and again he would bring himself to an orgasm and honestly it wasn't something he needed to do all that often but whenever he was having a ridiculously bad day and felt a bit agitated or too stressed to sleep a simple physical release seemed to help a lot. And right now he badly needed to sleep but it just so happened to be his stupidly hard erection that was preventing him from doing so.

Yuriko was in her usual deep sleep, blissfully unaware of what her silver haired friend across the room was doing to himself, not that he currently cared who was in the room, thinking alone was becoming more and more difficult as he neared his own climax. Times like this he was grateful Yuriko was a heavy sleeper. No matter how loud he was she never seemed to even stir, even so he had to be careful. He didn't want her to know about this. It was embarrassing…no it was mortifying. But he had no choice. It was this…or complete utter torture and a fail on the test tomorrow morning.

"D-damn it…" He hissed, he was so close, but none of the usual images in his mind were doing it for him. He tried going faster, pumping harder but he felt naught but trickle of excitement, just adding to the agony. He tried to think of nothing but the blissful pleasure which did take it up a notch but it wasn't nearly enough to bring him over that edge he was desperately trying to fall into. So close…so damn close…

As if by some kind of messed up sign, Yuriko moaned in her sleep, turning on to her side. "…All…I want is…" She mumbled sleepily, half waking up but then falling back into that deep sleep again. Lost in the memories of her own past that would constantly haunt her dreams.

"Ah! God…Mmmngh…..d…amn it…"

Her voice pushed him even father, he was teetering on that edge. Without warning Zero's frizzling mind conjured up an image behind his closed eyelids that under different circumstances would make him want to cringe.

A hazy afternoon, Yuriko was pressed up right against him, her small dainty hand wrapped firmly around his length as she looked directly into his eyes, flushing bright red while she leaned, her brown hair tickling Zero's neck as she did so. _ "…Zero…that's it…come for me-"_

"A-Ahh…!"

He toppled over the edge, pleasure scorching through him like wildfire, crashing through his entire body, his temperature sky rocketed, and his whole body shuddered and convulsed as small tears of pure utter pleasure welled up in the corner of his eyes while his fingers knotted tightly in his bed sheets, almost tearing them.

"Mmm…shut up you phhhh…ecking well turd…the alarm didn't frucking go off…" Yuriko mumbled sleepily, turning on her side to face the wall as she pulled the sheets as far over her head as she could manage, too exhausted to realize the kind of cry that had escaped the young hunter's lips.

Zero turned on to his back, breathing erratically, staring at the ceiling in a daze as sweat began rolling down his face and neck. Various strands of his messy silver hair was sticking to his face while his fingers were still knotted in his…now torn bed sheets. It wasn't anything major just a small tear really.

"…oh…fuck…" He groaned, he'd really, really come hard. And…it was because of that stupid image, which by the way was still swirling around in his mind.

Damn it! He didn't even like her, why the hell did he think of that? Yes, she was sexually attractive but her personality was far from it! She was too hyper and extremely childish. She had the mental capacity of a fucking two year old. Okay maybe she knew more about sex than he did but she was still just a stupid kid! Her favourite past time was annoying the hell out of him which would now be twice as easy seeing as he'd just thought of her giving him a freaking hand job!

He could feel heat beginning to filter to where his hand was still curled, he abruptly pulled his hand from his trousers and made his way over to the bathroom, locking the door behind himself as he roughly tugged some tissue paper from a small box.

_Why…why did I do such a fucking idiotic thing?_

_

* * *

_

Yuuki stood on the wall surrounding the moon dorms, her hands on her hips, looking down wide eyed at the massive crowd of day class girls (and the odd few boys) in disbelief.

"Yuuuukkkiiiii! Waaait!" Yuriko called, trying to scale the wall of the moon dorms. Normally she was an excellent climber…but these walls weren't exactly designed for unwanted visitors to climb.

"It's still morning…! Yet they are already waiting for the night class?" Yuuki exclaimed in incredulity, ignoring the small pixy haired girl's calls. She blew on her whistle to grab the attention of the day class 'fan girls' who scowled at the prefect.

"Everybody in the day class has classes now! Please go back to your classrooms!" Yuuki yelled, pointing down at them, attempting to be bold but failing miserably as the girls kicked the fuss up a notch. One of the more boisterous day class girls decided on attempting to climb the walls of the moon dorms by standing in her friend's shoulders just to make things worse.

"Now there's a good idea! Oh wait…no…she's gunna fall…I can see it…" Yuriko sighed, pulling herself up onto the wall. She'd worry about getting down later.

"I have to give them my chocolate!" She panted, "And mine too!" The girl beneath grunted.

Yuriko ran over to where the girls were trying to get up, "No, no, no, no, no! Get down stupid! You're going to-" Her warning was too late, the girl lost her balance and gravity kicked in. She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for a horrible bone cracking of some sort. Instead there was a 'thnk' noise followed by sighs of awe and surprise. Yuriko looked down and saw that Zero had caught the girl.

'_Well what do you know, he **can **be useful sometimes.' _She thought.

Her mind wandered back to what had happened that morning, Zero seemed really wound up about something and just snapped at her when she asked what was wrong. Maybe he had a bad dream and didn't want to talk about it, in any case he seemed really ticked off. With her in particular. Sure the day hadn't even started and she was already tormenting him. It would be wise not to bother him today, she thought.

"Th-…Thank you, Kiryuu-san…" The girl mumbled, her whole face had gone red and her little brown eyes glittering from behind her glasses. Poor thing…having to witness so much Zero in the morning, Yuriko thought with the shake of her head.

"Hooray! Go Zero!" Yuuki cheered enthusiastically as he let the girl down.

"I've told you a thousand time now…!" He hissed, glaring at everyone. Today wasn't a good day for him and he was in no mood for this kind of shit. Not only were his vampirical urges starting to rise to the fore but for today he was with Yuriko for most of his classes. Not good considering what he had done last night…

As Zero reprimanded the day class girls Yuuki hopped down off the wall and just as Yuriko was about to do the same she hesitated, it wasn't this high last time she'd checked… "Aw…shit…" She mumbled, shuffling her feet, looking for a way to get down that wouldn't result in her breaking something. She'd gone this far without breaking a bone…oh well everyone broke something some time. But it would hurt…and no one liked pain…

"…If any of you pull a stunt like that again, I'll personally make sure that you're suspended on valentines day every year until you graduate." Zero snarled, as he continued giving daggers to everyone of those stupid students.

The girls shuffled off, mumbling fowl words under their breaths. _"Kiryuu's such a spoil sport, ah! I bet that Murigan got him pissed again this morning! Doesn't she know the knock on effect it has on us?"_

Those little bitches! She didn't get him pissed! He woke up pissed off with her for no reason at all, and she wanted to know why actually…maybe he had a bad dream. Or maybe…he was over thinking…or…it was probably because he knew it was valentines day today and he'd have to work extra hard to keep all those night class fan girls or boys away, while trying to keep his own little fan girls away…

"And so once again, You've started valentines day off as the enemy of all woman kind. You won't even get friendship chocolate now." Yuuki sighed, patting Zero's shoulder sympathetically.

"Then what the hell should I have said?" He glowered, snarling between gritted teeth. "After all my duty as a member of the disciplinary committee is to prevent the day class students from finding out what the night class really is."

"Yeah…we'll have to be extra careful tonight…Eh? Yuriko what are you doing?" Yuuki asked puzzled, looking up at Yuriko who was pacing back and forth on the wall, looking around.

"Get down already, stupid! Classes are starting!" Zero groaned, he was tired and just wanted to get the day over with so he could go back to bed, he may have slept like a rock but that sleep lasted an hour before he was noisily awoken by his alarm.

"Uh…I would if I could Zero dearest, but…ahahaha…I can't." She giggled, tugging a piece of her hair.

"Just jump! For fucks sake!" He shouted, frustrated enough as it was.

"B-B-B-But! It's reaalllyy high! And I ain't no cat you fool! So I'll end up breaking my face or something!"

Zero groaned loudly, brushing his hand through his hair.

"Zero why don't _you _just catch her. She's lighter than she looks. Even _I _can lift her." Yuuki smiled.

"Nuh, Nuh, Nuh! No. He'll drop me _on purpose!_" Yuriko snapped.

He so would. Zero was in pisser with her already and this was the perfect way to get her back…for whatever it was she'd done to him. Though Zero wasn't very well known for getting people back…

"Fine then. Jump. Now." He growled, glowering at Yuriko icily as he held his arms out to catch her.

"O-Okay!" She yelped hopping off the wall and expecting to fall on her ass at any moment. Well it was an excuse to get off P.E she supposed…

"Is gravity not work-ng!"

Yuriko flushed, _now _she saw why the other girl had gone red. She'd landed right in Zero's arms and her eyes had met his. Cold amethyst behind his strands of sleek silver hair, and it was at this point in time when Yuriko thought, for the first time, that Zero Kiryuu was drop dead gorgeous, not just meh, good-looking. close up was…wow. Something twisted inside her chest twisted and she suddenly couldn't find her voice. "A-Ah…L-Lemme down!" She snapped, having realized she must have been gawking at him for the past ten minutes. Zero gladly did so and Yuriko stood there staring into space for a few minutes, "Right, next stop; chairman's office! Am I right?" She grinned, taking it upon herself to lead the way.

Yuriko was a hell of a lot lighter than she looked and she looked really light to begin with. She wasn't just short, but most of her body proportions were small as well. She wasn't sickly thin but thin enough to look extremely breakable. He looked at her perplexingly, now that he thought about it…she only ever ate pocky when he'd seen her. What was she on a diet of some sort to look that way? No wait, she ate just fine. Something was put in front of her, so long as it wasn't sushi, she'd eat it. So why the hell was she so damned thin?

What in the hell was going through her mind a few seconds ago? Did Yuriko seriously think for a half a second that Zero was _stunning_? That was seriously out of character for her. She tormented the living daylights out of him for gods sakes! It wasn't just the whole thinking Zero was gorgeous but there was something inside of her, something she knew she wouldn't like if she tried to find out what it was. And so Yuriko ignored it, pretended like it wasn't there. Something she was very good at.

"I know that it's valentines day, I also realise that the school is buzzing with excitement." The chairman began seriously.

As Yuriko slipped into her usual day dream yet again.

She used to never be able to stand valentines day because she was normally the only girl in her year who wouldn't get anything. Not even a card. She was teased for it as well and as a lovely gift from the neighbouring school she got egged on the way home. She remembered in May that neighbouring school did their little muck-up week as well, and in first year they grabbed her guitar and broke it. Needless to say she was devastated. She loved that guitar and even though she got a new one it wasn't the same. She'd found that guitar by a couple of bins and she patched it up herself. That was when she started singing and playing.

Yuriko was brought out of her nostalgia as Yuuki nudged her.

"Hmm?"

The chairman was looking at her expectantly. "Yuriko did you get that?"

"Uh… Be more diligent than ever! Yes Sir!" She saluted, grinning. Thank god she was half listening there…

"That's why I said we should just ban the goddamned day…" Zero groaned, looking down at Yuriko who had taken an interest in the tree outside the window. She looked deep in thought actually; and that couldn't be good. When Yuriko was thinking it usually meant two kinds of disasters; one, she was plotting or two, she was over thinking a situation that shouldn't be over thought.

"…And after all, All of my little vampires are just too adorable! Such dear little creatures~ I could never keep them from their loving fans!" The chairman gushed, clasping his hands together.

"_Don't praise those vermin basterds to my fucking face you dick!" _Yuuki snarled, mimicking Zero's voice. "Is what Zero is thinking" She finished with a chirp, in her own voice.

"Alright, alright…"

The chairman went on to talk about how vampires had long been the enemy of mankind and how he wanted Zero to one day believe in his pacifism. He failed. Again. Leaving Zero in a worse mood than he was in before.

"Yuuki! Do something!" Yuriko hissed, hitting Yuuki's arm suddenly.

"Uh…Uhm-Uhmm…"

She pulled out some pieces of paper from her pocket and jumped onto the chairman's desk, "H-Here Chair- D-Daddy! Happy Valentines day!" She chirruped. Yuriko felt like head banging a wall, the one time she had to be stupid…"I meant to Zero…" She groaned under her breath.

"And this is for you Zero! As always!" Yuuki grinned, tossing a piece of paper at Zero.

"Twenty coupons for Yuuki's shoulder massages! Yaaaay!" The chairman exclaimed with glee, hopping and skipping around his desk in a jolly manor.

"One slave coupon…it's the exact same things you gave us since we were in primary school." Zero groaned, looking at Yuuki, un-amused and twice as pissed.

"So sue me!" Yuuki hissed.

Yuriko groaned loudly and grabbed Zero's sleeve, "Okay, we're done! Lets roll."

"Ah wait for me!" Yuuki called, following her peers out the door.

Yuriko didn't understand, why did she feel like this? She was unsure of what it was, she didn't want to know but she wanted to know at the same time! "Goddamn it…" She muttered.

"Huh?" Zero said, still being pulled along by Yuriko.

"Nothing…nothing…" She smiled, glancing back at Zero.

Yuriko had only known Zero and Yuuki for no less than two years; Yuuki knew Zero for four years. What happened to him? What was his story…? Yes; they did share a dorm but they rarely talked about their past, Yuriko would just ramble on and on about random things. Alright maybe she let a bit of her happier past slip, but she hadn't spoken a word of that night nor the other incident that had happened to her five years previous…

Zero really didn't care that he was being dragged along by Yuriko. Personally he was too lazy to walk at the moment anyway, he was content to be pulled along like a child. But then her scent was blown his way by an open window, her short brown hair was tousled by the light breeze and he could smell her so clearly. It was intoxicating…that scent he knew so very well…he wanted it…oh god he wanted it so much…

Zero jerked his hand away from Yuriko, bringing himself to a sudden stop.

"Oh, whoopsie-doodle! Was I still holding you're arm? Sorry." Yuriko grinned, turning back to look at Zero as she fixed her fringe which had been windswept.

"I-Its okay…" He breathed, clutching his throat a little bit, as if he was thirsty.

Yuriko blinked at him; "You alright?" She asked, now that she thought of it…he looked paler than usual today, maybe he was sick?

"I'm fine. Lets go." He said hastily, walking swiftly off.

"Zero!" Yuriko called. "Wait for us!" Yuuki yelled, running after Zero.

Yuriko sighed to herself and followed Yuuki's lead.

She started to worry a little bit, what if Zero _was_ sick. Maybe that was why he was so ticked off with everyone, god knows when she had her period she was also a bit pissed. "Hey…Zero, are you really okay? You look a little pale…if you're sick-"  
"I'm fine! Just drop it! Christ…!" He growled at her, brushing a hand through his hair, frustrated. His head was killing him from all this restraint.

"Well excuse me for being worried…"

"So Yuri, planning to give anyone chocolate this year~?" Kumiko trilled, gathering her books together.

"Well I'm just going to give Ta- Ichijo-senpai friendship pocky…and I suppose I could give Rima and Shiki pocky too so…yeah…pocky all round!" She sighed in reply to her friend's question, "And how about yourself?"  
"Oh…no, no one." Kumiko smiled, sliding her fringe to one side. She really ought to get rid of her side-fringe it was starting to bother her a little. But she remembered how much trouble it was to keep a full fringe…having to cut it all the time, goodness…

"Good luck with that, I'm going back to my dorm with Nene-chan. I'll see you." She said shortly, leaving her little friend behind.

"Hurry, hurry! Before the disciplinary committee get there! Idol-senpai~!" The girls squealed.

"Time for work, lets go." Zero said quickly, shuffling out of his seat glancing over expectantly at Yuriko. She blinked then nodded in reply, following Zero from behind.

"Wait!" Yuuki complained.

"I'm really bored…" Yuriko moaned, checking her watch whilst half walking, half skipping down the corridor. She hadn't seen Takuma, Rima _or _Shiki, so she _still _had those three boxes of pocky; she was too lazy to make chocolate let alone go all the way into town to buy it. Besides all three of them loved pocky, Takuma included. But she was really…really bored right now.

The afternoon had been hectic, she had too keep all those fan girls from killing the night class students- correction she had to keep Aido from blowing his secret. He was such an eejit, asking girls for their blood type all the damned time! And there was no way in hell she was telling him her blood type; which is AB- by the way.

"Its…one thirty five…" She sang, hopping on one foot to another in a rhythmic pattern down the steps.

"…And Yu-ri-ko- has no-thing to do-"  
_"Go away! Now!"_

Zero. That was definitely Zero's voice and he sounded so pissed off. "Oh je-" Yuriko was suddenly bumped into by a very teary Nadeshiko Shindou. One of her classmates and a very shy one, she was quite lovely and behind those braids and big glasses was an extremely pretty girl. "I-I-I'm so sorry Murigan-san!"  
"Hey, hey…what happened huh?" Yuriko said gently, holding the hysterical girl by both her shoulders.

"I-It was nothing…! I have to go…!" She sobbed, running past Yuriko, down the stairs.

Suddenly it occurred to Yuriko what had happened; Zero must have rejected her. That was why she was so upset. What a dick! "Oh…you are so getting a piece of my mind…" She hissed, trudging her way down to where she had heard Zero's voice.  
"Excuse me Zero! Do you realize that Shindou just ran down the corridor in tears because of you!" Yuriko snapped, standing in front of the silver haired boy only to suddenly think twice about lecturing him.  
"Yuriko please…not now…" Zero didn't look so well; as a matter of fact he looked extremely ill. He was as pale as a ghost, he was sweating heavily and he was leaning against the wall for support.

"Are…you alright? Maybe you should sit-"  
"I'm fine! Just go away!" He barked, glaring daggers at the small brunette.  
"Its clear you're not okay! At least let me take you somewhere where you can sit down! You're using the bloody wall for support for god sakes!"  
Zero let out a low…whimper? It was the only word that Yuriko could think of to describe that noise.  
"Please…just go…-"  
"Yuriko-chan, I think its best you do as Kiryuu-kun wishes."

As if on que the chairman had arrived on the scene; a look of seriousness on his usually goofy face. "I'll take care of him from here! You get back on patrol; he'll be just fine." He assured, placing his hand on Yuriko's shoulder.

"…Right." She said simply, walking past Zero unaware of the fact that he was about to grab her from behind; but the chairman grabbed his wrist and shook his head.  
"Feel better…Zero." Yuriko smiled, looking back at him before walking down the stairs.

"Well…do you understand now? You can fight it, you can ignore it all you want but it won't change a thing…."


	7. The Guardian

A/N. Blaaahaa~ I stole one of Yuuki's roles...heh...be afraid, be very afraid. FORGIVE ME HINO-SAMA TT_TT

* * *

7. The Guardian

_The only things running through my mind that night was the fact that I failed to keep that promise; I promised I would always be by her side, that I would always protect her. I said that if she was ever scared all she had to do was call my name and I'd come running…but I didn't. _

_Now I was only one half of a whole; Yumiko and I were from the same embryo. We shared everything together; yes we were different in so many ways but at the end of the day we were two halves of a whole…and now…_

"Yuriko Murigan!"

The next thing she knew she was being slapped over the head with a folded up news paper. "Away with the fairies again were you?"

Miss Emiko; Yuriko's favourite teacher and she just so happened to be Emiko's favourite student as well. Why? They shared a sense of humour.

Yuriko laughed sheepishly, "S-Sorry…" She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

"_Moron…"_  
"Oh ho~ Speak for yourself Mister Kiryuu; I believe you were taking a nap no more than ten minutes ago." Emiko trilled, causing Zero to glare at her.

While all of this was going on Yuuki had taken to falling asleep, landing her in detention yet again. Classes ended and it was time for another lunch break.

"Hey Yuri…you look awfully tired today, did something happen last night? Did…did Zero _do _something to keep you awake…?" Kumiko growled quietly, shooting a dirty look at the sleeping prefect.  
"No! I just…nightmares…" Yuriko lied; actually she was ridiculously worried about Zero. He just kept getting paler and paler every time she saw him…he was a lot more irritable lately now that she thought on it. Something was wrong with him and he was trying to hide it.

"Oh…well a nightmare is a nightmare. Its just a bad dream." Kumiko sighed, slipping out of her seat, "Well joining me for lunch?"

"Ah…no I have some stuff to do right now. If I have time after I'll go see you and Nene up on the roof, kay?"

Kumiko blinked, "Alright then…don't push yourself to hard."

Yuriko smiled and slid out of her seat, first thing was first; she needed to find Shindou and talk to her. She seemed really upset and Yuriko just couldn't help but be a big sister to everyone really. Particularly to people weaker or shier than she was.

Yuriko caught her on the second floor corridor, gazing out the window, still melancholic from yesterday apparently. "Good morning, Shindou!" Yuriko greeted, skipping cheerfully over to the sandy haired girl.

"Oh…hello Murigan-san…uhm…I-I'm sorry about yesterday. I…was a bit upset is all…" She mumbled, fiddling with her sleeve a little.

"Its fine! Its fine! But I came here to ask you why you were upset. I'm pretty sure Zero did or said something to you and…well it wasn't his fault, he hasn't been feeling the best you see." Yuriko explained, causing Shindou to look both relived and worried.  
"I-Is he alright? Oh…I'm so silly…! I should have known…"

"Nah! He's just good at acting, but don't take the words he said too seriously. When he's feeling better I'll let you know and you can…try again." Yuriko winked, smiling brightly.

Shindou smiled back, she looked much better, "Thank you, Murigan-san."  
"Not a problem, I just don't like the idea of people being upset because of Zero's attitude problem. I swear to god…you'd swear he had a uterus and was PMSing half the time…anyway; I'd best be off. I'll see you later!"

Mission one; accomplished. Onward to mission two.

"Zero…hey Zero~ Wake up…Kaname's in the classroom right now."

"Huh- what?" Zero spluttered, sitting up, looking around the place frantically for that Kuran bastard only to find a smiling Yuriko instead, "…what the fuck do you want…you little shit…"  
"Aw…I love you too! I need to ask you something." She stated simply, hopping onto the desk, resting both her feet on the seat next to Zero.

"Ask me then…" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Lately…it seems like you're not well. You keep getting paler, your more irritable and last night you looked like you were going to pass out. Tell me honestly; What's wrong? I'm asking you because I'm worried about you, Zero." Yuriko said quietly, trying to make sure no one would hear her.

There was no way he could brush her off, he needed to think of a lie and fast. "I haven't been sleeping lately…at all."

Yuriko looked at him, torn between believing it or not. It was possible that he hadn't gotten enough sleep but…something else was telling her that it couldn't be just that. "Oh…right…wait but-"  
The bell chimed and before Yuriko had time to accuse him any further Zero had left the classroom.

Oh yeah, something was definitely wrong with him. And he didn't want anyone to know about it either.

"…and he says its from a lack of sleep! My fucking arse!"

Yuriko was so ticked off right now and she was taking it all out on poor Takuma again, verbally of course. "Well…maybe he's embarrassed about it, maybe its something he can't tell you or Yuuki because you're both girls. Its probably why the chairman knows about it too!" The blonde summarized, if anyone could think up of the best lie ever under heavy circumstances it was Takuma Ichijo; a talent that ran in the family if you will.

"Oh! That's probably it! Wait…if it's a guy problem…it couldn't be that he just hit puberty- oh good lord I think he has an STI…!"

"Ahaha! Lets not jump to conclusions shall we…!"

"…What's that about Kiryuu having an STI?"

"Shiki~! Where's Rima at?" Yuriko chirped.

For a few seconds Shiki looked at Takuma, as if giving him a wordless exchange of some kind, "Dorm head Kuran wants you to go back to the class…I'll keep Yuriko company…she owes me pocky anyway." He stated, taking a seat next to Yuriko on the windowsill she had herself curled up on; her back resting against the wall, her legs tucked up to her chin.

"Right then…I hope for your sake Kiryuu-kun feels better, give him my best wishes." Takuma smiled, walking hastily up the stairs. He knew what was wrong; blood had been split a little while ago and he really should have gone back to the classroom at that point but…the time he had with Yuriko was limited…and she was such a close friend to him after all.

"…I-I don't have any pocky Shiki…sorry~"

Shiki sighed heavily, "You owe me seven packets now, you realize that right?"  
"Hey! I'm not made of money! The chairman only gives me one thousand yen* a week!"

"So get a job..." Shiki muttered; he needed to keep her here for as long as he could, he had no idea what had caused the scent of blood but he sure as hell didn't want Yuriko involved in whatever had happened, weak as she was.

"In _this_ economical climate? You're kidding me right?"

Luck was on Shiki's side for the most part; he kept Yuriko talking for another hour or so. "Well...I suppose I should go, Zero's going to kill me for skipping out on duties...but hey, we had catching up to do right?" She grinned, streaching as she stood up. "Ah...my legs are cramped...ow...oww...see ya later Shiki."

"Yeah..." He yawned in reply, shuffling back to the classrooms.

It was hard to ignore the fact that her hands were shaking the entire time he was talking to her; along with the fact she would jolt every time he moved. Sure it was only to be expected of someone as traumatized as Yuriko; she could hide her emotions well, you had to give her credit for that. Shiki really didn't feel like caring about Yuriko but he really couldn't help it; maybe Ichijo was brushing off on him. That blonde worried about everything but if there was one little girl he fretted over the most it was of course Yuriko. Maybe he knew something about her that he didn't but...to fret over such an insignificant girl like her? It was mystery to him...yes he cared about her too but Ichijo's feelings seemed a bit...extreme to him.

"Shiki..." He looked around to see Rima, "Hey..."

"Long day…long day-" Yuriko froze to the spot for no less than two mili-seconds before lunging herself at the silver haired male who had been sitting on his bed, blood rose pressed against his temple, his finger firmly on the trigger and the safety catch unlocked; a look of pure ease on his face, as if there was nothing wrong with what he was about to do.

"What the fuck were you doing? Don't you dare brush me off! The safety catch was unlocked, you fucking moron you can't hurt yourself with this thing you're not-"  
"For someone so smart you're so thick sometimes…" Zero stated bluntly, flipping them both over to look down at her. Yuriko's heart was pounding, why was he about to kill himself? If she hadn't have walked in when she did then...

"You said it yourself; I haven't been well lately. I'm paler, I'm more irratble... and last night I was fighting it, I was fighting my disgusting instincts and in the end they won over…" He said, making Yuriko look at him, confused. "I'm a vampire."

The words hit her like a ton of bricks, her mouth went a little agape and her eyes widened, "You're…joking…" She said, breathlessly, suddenly incredibly uneasy.

"I'm dead serious Yuriko. You think I'm doing this for fun? No. I'm not you. I don't joke; and I certainly wouldn't joke around about being a vampire…" He hissed, glaring at her for her stupidity, "I bit Yuuki and god knows you're next if I don't get out of here."

Yuriko could do nothing but stare at him, completely shocked and confused, unsure of what to say, do or even think. Zero…was a vampire. He'd drank Yuuki's blood, Yuuki was his first victim…and he said that she was next, being bitten by a vampire again...

"_Aw, This just so happens to be my desert…" _She shuddered, fear becoming crystal clear in her eyes as that haunting voice entered her mind, resounding and bouncing in an echo only in her mind.

Zero's look softened, "I'm sorry…you won't have to worry about me anymore so…" He trailed, before shaking his head, taking his bag and leaving swiftly.

Yuriko didn't know what to do… "…You're…a vampire…"

She was paralyzed, she had no idea what to do.  
Zero was a vampire and apparently he'd given in to his instincts and bitten Yuuki. But how? How the hell was he a vampire...? What happened to him? How did it happen? _When _did it happen? Why did it happen to him? The questions rang on and on in Yuriko's mind. She shifted to sit up, on the way her hand brushed off a photograph near her, she picked it up; Zero was in the center, his face expressionless as it usually was, his eyes glaring down coldly at Yuriko, who had her arm linked in Zero's grinning like a mad ejit and making a V with her two fingers. Yuuki's head was just peeping above his other shoulder.  
There were two messages written on it; _'Yay! We're in the same class together! ^^' _It was Yuuki's neat hand writing, or at least neat compared to Yuriko's handwriting in the lower corner; _'You realize I'll be harassing you to let me copy your homework etc. because we're in all the same classes right?'_

Why was he leaving so suddenly? Just because he was a vampire…it didn't mean anything! So what if he bit Yuuki, it was one slip up, there were blood tablets now. He didn't have to go just because of that! But if he wanted to run away like the coward he was then so be it. As much as she cared about him she couldn't stop him, she had no right to stop him from leaving if he didn't want to stay.

'_So you'll let him die…like you did with Yumiko…'_

Yuriko gasped suddenly and sprinted out the door, intent on stopping Zero. She wouldn't let that happen, not a second time. She didn't want to loose anyone else anymore!

She caught sight of him and just clung to him from behind on impulse.  
"Yuriko…let me go-"  
"Stop it…! Please just stop!" She whimpered, "You can't just leave and not explain…!"

She was shaking and her arms were so small and frail, Zero could easily just continue walking no problem; but that tremor in her voice wrenched at him, making him feel guilty for not saying anything to her. "I'm a vampire, Yuriko-"  
"So what? So fucking what! Who cares? I don't care if you're a human or a vampire, as long as your still that annoying son of a bitch, Zero Kiryuu, I don't care…! I'm sure as hell Yuuki's fine with it too…you can't just leave…"

Zero stayed silent, the only sound was the sound of her ragged breathing…and then she made some kind of a whimper again, "Please…for the love of god…I don't want to loose anything else…" She sobbed, letting go of him and dropping to her knees, "If you…try and bite someone…again…I'll stop you…! Okay…? I'm not frightened of you…I'll stop you…I promise but…I'm so scared of loosing you, so don't go…!"

All Zero could do was look down at her; she looked so pitiful. Down on her knee's, hands trying to wipe her tears away, sobbing her heart out, begging him not to go.

"Yuriko…I'm not going anywhere." He said softly, getting down to her level. "I'm not leaving…so don't cry."

Yuriko gritted her teeth together and forced herself to stop crying...or tried to; it wasn't working. Godamn it!

"Zero! Yuriko...!"  
Fuck. Now Yuuki was here too, who else was going to join the party.

"...Yuriko what's wrong?" Yuuki asked gently, getting down to her level, only to realize that Zero had a bag by his side. "...Zero...? What happened?"

"It was nothing..." Zero said; what a pathetic lie. Not even Yuuki would believe it. He glanced at Yuriko again who was starting to calm herself down.

"I'm fine...Yuuki...its just me being hormonal..." She smiled, wiping the tears away from her reddened eyes.

"Oh...I get like that too sometimes, its horrible isn't it?" Yuuki sighed, hugging Yuriko tightly.  
Zero had to force himself not to sigh with relief, times like this he was grateful Yuriko was a girl; she could blame everything on her hormones and Yuuki instantly believed her. Oh...but he knew he would get the head eaten off of him by Yuriko tomorrow morning- scratch that; she'd be at him all day tomorrow. He grimaced at the thought of the horrors tomorrow would bring...


	8. Trust

A/N: Muahaaa, I've stolen Yuuki's part once again! But have no fear...at the time I thought it wasn't so important...then chapter 57 came out to prove me wrong but SHUSH. XD

Vampire Knight doesn't belong to me, it belongs to the incredible Hino Matsuri-sama-sensei-dono. I only own Yuriko and my wonderful bawx!

* * *

8. Trust

"Oh and did I mention how fucking _pissed _I am with you? I'm you're roommate for crying out loud! You don't tell me you're a vampire, you try to commit suicide; which by the way I've lectured you on a million times before! And you try to run away forcing me to sob my heart out begging you not to go! Jesus christ why are you such a pain in the ass?" Yuriko growled for the fifth time that afternoon. Clearly she hadn't slept well because of all that and Zero already felt guilty enough as it was without her giving him even more grief.

Yuriko and Yuuki had a little chat that morning while Zero was having a nap in the back of the classroom. Yuuki had told Yuriko the whole story; Zero's family had been murdered by a pureblood vampire, and that same pureblood had bitten him; and when a pureblood bit a human they became a vampire too. That made way more sense in Yuriko's head. He was a human up until his family was murdered four years ago…which explained why he seemed so on edge lately.  
As a result of him apparently being a full fledged vampire it obviously meant that the chairman would attempt to put Zero in the night class…so they decided; Yuriko would talk to the chairman about it and Yuuki would talk to Kaname about it; seeing as Kaname hated Yuriko's guts.; just as much as Yuuki denied it. _"Kaname-senpai doesn't hate you Yuriko!"_

Yeah right…he just constantly insulted her and purposely told her over and over how useless she was because he secretly loved her.

"Where were you planning to go anyway? China?" She said bluntly, looking back at him.

"To settle this whole thing…"

Well that was a vague answer; but Yuriko couldn't help but scowl at him. _'By running away? Coward."_

She knocked gently on the door of the chairman's office, holding onto the sleeve of Zero's jacket.

"Chairman, we'd like to talk to you…" She trailed off as she nearly face-palmed.

"Good Morning! You came at the perfect time! Look at this!" He chirped, beaming at the two prefects. "It's a night class uniform for Kiryuu-kun! I wonder if it'll look good on him~"

Zero slapped the chairman across the face, "I'm leaving." he said, attempting to get out ASAP before the chairman fawned over Zero being in that horrible uniform.

"Wait! Zero don't you dare! Jesus…You just _had _to walk yourself into that one didn't you stupid chairman!" Yuriko hissed, grabbing a hold of Zero's arm, trying to stop him from leaving.

"You seem to be feeling better, Kiryu-kun. And I'm not Jesus Yuriko however god-like I might seem to you." The chairman remarked, rubbing his cheek as he sat back down in his large leather chair.

Yuriko scowled, trying to stop herself from smiling at the chairman's funny remark. She was so stealing that one from him…

Yuriko quite liked the chairman, he wasn't afraid to be goofy around anyone it was really hilarious sometimes, others it was annoying…but at the same time he was a good man. He'd taken Yuuki, Zero and herself in with open arms and treated them as if they were his own. Yuriko was forever in debt to him.

"Anyway, Yuriko-chan. Is there something you need to say?"

"Oh…uh…right, right! I know Zero will never be the way he was before…having awoken as a vampire and all that but I'm not letting him go into the night class! I've got a list of reasons as to why too if you want me to relay them." She stated firmly, trying to be as serious as possible, although it was rather difficult, hyper as she was now.

The chairman scratched his head thoughtfully, closing his eyes.

"Well…Yes, you're right Yuriko-chan. We need Kiryu-kun as a guardian in addition to your own and Yuuki's help."

Yuriko grinned triumphantly; that wasn't very hard! She didn't even need to list the reasons why Zero should stay in the day class.

The chairman began fumbling through his many drawers and soon pulled out a small bracelet, "Yuriko. Put this bracelet on."

Yuriko did as she was told and took the bracelet, "Uhm…Zero…wanna help?" She smiled sheepishly at him, Zero sighed heavily and took her wrist, "Can't you do something as simple as that yourself…"

Yuriko stuck her tongue out at him when he was finished helping her. She was never able to put bracelets or watches on herself, she didn't know why but she just never got the hang of it.  
She turned the bracelet over, it was a small diamond-shaped piece of silver with a crest imprinted on it; it seemed really familiar.

"Kiryu-kun, cut your finger."

Zero was snapped out of whatever musings he was in middle of and looked up at the chairman, almost offended. "What?" He snapped, confused by the current situation.

"Cut it. We need your blood." The chairman repeated, holding out a small paper knife, looking just a little bit too serious for Zero's liking. He did so, glancing at the chairman suspiciously as he sliced his finger open.

"All righty then!"

The chairman grabbed both Yuriko's and Zero's wrists, he then dropped some of Zero's blood on the bracelet he'd just given her.

"What…did you do…" Zero growled, glaring over at the chairman.

"This is an ancient secret method used by vampire hunters to tame vampires," The blonde pulled aside Zero's shirt collar. "The tattoo and the bracelet work as a pair in this spell." As the chairman brought the bracelet up to Zero's tattoo something that resembled electricity started sparking from the bracelet, Yuriko flinched and suddenly there was a huge bang followed by a flash of light that blinded both Zero and Yuriko for a moment.

Zero felt himself being pinned down by something and fell flat on his back with a loud bang.

When Yuriko opened her eyes again she was in shock to find that Zero was pinned to the office floor by…something's that could only be described to Yuriko as four red glowing…daggers.

"Wh…what the hell just happened?" She mumbled, staring in shock at poor Zero who looked like he'd been on a bad trip; a look that screamed 'what the fuck just happened to me…?'

"Oh, he's fine! He just can't move at the moment!" The chairman grinned, waving his hand about nonchalantly, "Yuriko-chan; if Kiryuu-kun goes crazy with blood thirst again and tries to attack someone, just push your bracelet against his tattoo to stop him."

Yuriko looked at the small bracelet again, something this small had the power to restrain him. And on a side note the thing barely fit on her tiny wrist, she'd have to be careful not to let it slide off her wrist.

"Wasn't this tattoo supposed to prevent me from transforming into a vampire in the first place…?" Zero asked, surprisingly calm looking having been magically pinned to the floor.

"Indeed…it can suppress your vampire nature but it can't stop it completely; that's why I never told you about this spell earlier. However now that your vampire instincts have fully awoken there's no turning back I'm afraid, Kiryuu-kun."

After contemplating the various things she could do to Zero with this bracelet Yuriko had broken into one of her evil smirks. _"If you don't do what I say I'll restrain you and do indescribable things to your body! With a marker!" _Oh the fun she would have in the following weeks!

"For your own protection, and to keep things running smoothly in the school; neither the day nor night class must know you're a vampire. Understood? These are the terms for keeping you in the day class."

"Uhm…Chairman…will Zero ever be able to get up or do I have to do something with this bracelet…?" Yuriko mumbled, looking down at Zero with concern.

"Ah! Not to worry! If you don't try to resist you'll be able to move again in a moment!" The chairman grinned, bending down to Zero's level. "I'm sorry Kiryuu-kun, I didn't think it would come to this…" He continued regret in his tone.

"Its fine, like this…but…" Zero's eyebrow visibly twitched, "Why the fuck did you give the damned bracelet to Yuriko of all people? She'll end up abusing me with the damned thing!" He accused, seeing that evil little smirk plastered across her face.  
"Zero, that's so mean! I'm no sadist!" She retorted, her eyes contradicting what she had just said.

"Well…its simple Kiryuu-kun; Yuriko is with you for most of your classes and she shares a dorm with you, chances are she'll be the next one you attack."

Yuriko flinched, "Chairman!" She hissed, hitting him across the head as Zero grimaced. He knew that she was most likely to be his next victim; the chairman didn't need to remind him.

"There's one more thing I can do for you…" He added as he moved the collar of his jacket aside. "If you really want to guzzle for blood, feel free to drink mine!"

Yuriko flinched as Zero proceeded to pummel the chairman, and rightly so!

"I FEEL LIKE I'M BEING SEXUALLY HARASSED! BLOOD TABLETS ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME YOU STUPID FUCKING CHAIRMAN!" Zero roared, turning abruptly on his heel to leave, grabbing Yuriko's small wrist as he did so, feeling the cool metal of her newly acquired bracelet. "We're leaving Yuriko!"

"Wait Kiryuu-kun…You've forgotten something important…" The chairman rasped in agony.

Zero paused, looking back at Yuriko with a look of expectance on her face.

"Ah…right then. I'll just slip away~" She hummed, making her way towards the door. "Oh- And don't forget we have to go save- get Yuuki from the moon dorms later 'kay?" She called, smiling at Zero before running lightly down the corridor.

The chairman settled himself in his large brown leather chair, crossing his arms on the table before him. As Zero opened his mouth to speak the blonde haired man raised his hand, stopping him. "You needn't explain to me, I already know, Kiryuu-kun. You're going to request that I move Yuriko to another dorm, correct?" He stated, raising an eyebrow.

Zero nodded in reply, "Its only…I mean to keep her in a dorm with a blood thirsty vampire like me, its asking for trouble."

"Well…have you asked Yuriko-chan about it yet? This is her decision too you know…oh darn it we should have kept her here-"  
"No…I haven't mentioned it but I will, I just want to know if there's a dorm for her to go to." Zero interrupted before the chairman made an announcement over the intercom asking for Yuriko…god knows how much he loved to use that thing. "But Chairman…you have to understand that this is for her own safety! You've seen her, she's a fucking idiot. She can't tell a vampire from a human for the love of-"  
"Oh I disagree with that statement Kiryuu-kun, I'm sure she can tell the difference." The chairman said, that little glint in his eye. He knew something else…scratch that; he knew everything about that girl, maybe even things that not even she knew.  
"Whatever…" Zero scoffed, "If she agrees to leave, sort a place out for her."  
"And if not?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, rummaging through his drawers again.

"Then…so be it-"  
"Kiryuu-kun if she insists on staying in the same dorm as you, give her this; as insurance for both yourself and her…"

"Hey…Zero," Yuriko questioned, looking inquisitively up at the silver haired male. "You're…does the sun not bother you? Just out of curiosity."

"I wasn't born a vampire." He said simply, looking away from Yuriko, she really was a total fucking moron. It was a bad idea to keep her around an ex-human vampire for more than a few minutes, especially one she knew so well. She'd never be able to…

"O-Oh! Right, silly me! Should have known!" She giggled, rapping herself on the head playfully, grinning.

"Yuriko…" Zero stopped walking, "I want you to move to a different dorm."  
Yuriko paused herself and turned around to face Zero, staring at him blankly before finally saying; "Beg your pardon?"

He took a breath, "I said; I want you to move to a different dorm, being in the same dorm as me is a really bad idea. I'm a vampire; at some point I'm going to be half-asleep and most likely end up biting you, maybe even…killing you."

She paused for a moment, looking at the ground. That was true…she was in a hell of a lot more danger than Yuuki was when she thought about it. He was so much stronger than she was, and she was so small and dainty, there was no way in hell she could fend a fully grown teenage boy off let alone a newly awoken ex-human. It made sense but…in a simple sentence; She was frightened. She didn't want to share a dorm with a stranger, at least if she was with Zero she could relax when she woke up from one of her more horrific nightmares, knowing he'd be willing to comfort her; more importantly he'd know how. Zero knew more about her past than he seemed to let on…or maybe he knew the gist of it from her frantic mumblings.

"I've got the-"

Without warning Zero grabbed Yuriko's wrist, pinning it firmly to her side, "Go on, struggle."

She did, or at least she tried to; no matter how hard to tried to bring her hand back up it just wouldn't move under Zero's vice grip. "Do you understand? I can barely feel you struggling right now; I could probably pin you down, take your blood and cover your mouth no problem."  
"So you're saying I can't defend myself?" She hissed, feeling insulted. Though she knew it was true, coming from someone like Zero whom she admired for his strength…well it cut deeply to say the least.

"You can dodge but that won't do you any good against a level-E-"  
"But you're not a-"  
"One day…Yuriko that's what I'm going to end up being. Vampires who were once human fall to level-E's. They loose their human side and become bloodthirsty beasts that don't care what happens to themselves or others as long as they can get their hands on some blood…and you know well what they're capable of."

Yuriko was silenced as a ripple of fear began within her, she didn't know that…so the one who attacked her family was like Zero, once human…then a vampire and after that a beast.  
She gritted her teeth, "Thanks for that mental image Zero…" Yuriko snarled, trying once again to rip her wrist from Zero's grip.

"Yuriko I didn't mean for that…just…" He sighed heavily, this was a battle that would just go in circles. Even if he scared her she still refused, and because he'd scared her like that he felt ridiculously guilty.

He pulled the girl's hand towards him, placing a small gun in her hand. "Listen; if I ever lose the human side of me and go mad as a vampire…Shoot me with this gun." He stated looking Yuriko dead in the eyes, "When the day comes that I start loosing my sanity…kill me by your hands."

Yuriko's mouth went agape; an image came to her mind of Zero as the murderous vampire that had attacked her family, fangs fully aroused, eyes bloodshot and glowing bright red as he grinned maliciously

"I- I can't! Why would you ask me to do that? Please…no…I couldn't…" She spluttered, shoving the gun back at Zero, panicking at the thought of having to point it at him and pull the trigger.

"I knew you'd say that…" He muttered, "But you need to understand…what if you were me? What if you knew you'd become a level-E? What if one day you knew you'd loose all your sanity and started killing innocent people, wouldn't you want me or Yuuki to do the same?"

Yuriko bit her lip, she was good at putting herself in other people's shoes and as she began to think on it Zero sighed impatiently shoving the gun back at her, "Yuriko…I trust you."

That was enough to get her to make up her mind. "Alright…j-just…give me a warning and…I'll do it." She said quietly, placing the gun in her skirt pocket; it suddenly weighed a ton in her mind. Something this small…she was going to have to use it to kill him one day.

Zero nodded, shoving both hands in his pockets as he made his way to the moon dorms. Yuriko followed silently, a million things screaming at her from within her mind.


	9. Hiding

A/N: Well...not much happens in this chapter...besides the fact you get to see a bit more of Yuriko and Takuma's FRIENDSHIP. Like I said in the mini-summary thing, there be no proper pairing in this. OR IS THERE? No. No there's not children, no worries.

* * *

9. Hiding

Yuriko plopped down on the grass beside Zero, beaming as she usually was.

"Yuriko what-"  
"Skipping P.E! Just like you except, apparently I'm on my period today and thus have an exemption from P.E!" She grinned, lying; obviously she just didn't feel like doing P.E today. Not that it bothered Zero, if she wanted to skip P.E, fine by him. However…it bugged him that she was laying so close to him, he could almost taste her blood, rolling across his tongue as she-

"Yuriko don't lay so close to m-." He snapped, moving aside, only then realising that Yuriko had fallen asleep. He sighed, she must have been exhausted to have fallen asleep so quickly and he wasn't bothered to waste twenty minutes on attempting to wake her up.

'_That's what she gets for having too much sugar before going to bed…' _He thought to himself.

As he recalled, she had two bars of chocolate, god knows how much pocky and possibly gallons of coca-cola before she went to bed, she raided the fridge in the dorm kitchens along with Nene and Kumiko…

Speaking of Kumiko she was doing quite well horse riding despite the fact she'd said she'd never ridden a horse before in her entire life. That was the weirdest thing about her; she says she's never done something and when she does it she's amazing at it. Zero had no idea how…maybe she was from a hunter clan that gave up vampire hunting; there were a lot of them out there. Come to think of it…he glanced at Yuriko; yes she was small and weak…but not as weak as she should be. She had a sharp mind and even sharper reflexes, almost un-human…almost. She was a fast learner when it came to combat and funnily enough logical things, she had a really logical way of thinking when the situation presented itself. But of course there wasn't a hope in hell she was a hunter; as he pointed out once: she couldn't tell a vampire from a human.

Zero was just about to dose off with those thoughts when he heard an annoying galloping noise, and it was getting closer. He reluctantly sat up and opened his eyes to see none other than white lily, otherwise known as 'the horse from hell'

"You're ruining my nap…" He sighed, looking lazily at the white horse. She was in a bad mood, and it got even worse when he saw a certain someone laying beside _her _master. A small brown haired girl, she stomped her feet, glaring at her. Oh she knew that girl well…she made a low sound and jumped, intent on trampling the little girl.

Two things happened;

Zero jumped up, grabbing lily's reigns, hoisting himself onto her back. She backed up a little, still standing on her hind legs as Zero calmed her down, "Lily…its alright…" He said gently.

At the same time Yuriko…felt something and lurched forward, leaping backwards, dodging whatever it was that caused that kind of reaction and at quite an impressive speed. "Oh jeez…it was lily…!"

Luckily for her…the students only seemed to notice Zero.

Lily calmed down, and stood back down on all fours. "Whoa…Kiryu just tamed lily, 'the horse from hell'…Awesome…"

"As expected from the only guy in the day class who can back chat Kuran…" The day class boys continued admiring Zero.

However there was one girl in the crowed who'd seen what Yuriko did and she was making her way over to her friend now, "Yuriko…I saw that, where the hell did you learn to move that way?" She praised, smiling at her.

"S-Sayori? Oh…well I danced for eleven years…I remember I took up athletics for a while…" She trailed, smiling nervously at the ginger haired girl. Where…did she learn to move that quickly? Before she even knew what she was doing she'd already done it. It was like she knew all along how to move. "AH! ITS LILY!" Yuriko squealed, hiding behind Sayori. Ever since she entered this academy, that horse seriously wanted to kill her, all because she had Zero's sent all over her, or that's what he had told her.

Lily was fond of Zero because he fed her as a foal and she was easily jealous. She hated Yuriko because she had his sent all over her, making the horse think…for some weird reason, that they were 'mates'. Which appalled Yuriko, she could barely stand Zero, no way in hell was she his 'mate'! It was all because she shared a dorm with him. Hence, she smelled of Zero and Zero smelled of her. (Though she secretly thought Zero smelled nice…)

Yuriko continued eyeing the horse distrustfully. "You're a bit late there Yuriko…" Zero muttered, looking down at her.

"Actually she reacted before you, Kiryuu-kun. She dodged lily. It was amazing! She was so quick!" Sayori smiled noticing that Yuuki was on her way over, she hadn't realised that Lily was _that _bad tempered. Well…Sayori had warned her.

"Sorry Zero! I know lily was bad tempered, but I never that she'd run away! I wonder why she suddenly…"

"She probably sensed something she didn't like…" Zero said answering Yuuki's question before she had finished it; Lily was a sensitive horse and was easily annoyed by the sent of a vampire. That was what set her off, Yuriko just worsened her mood that was all.

"Z-Zero…" Yuriko whispered, Zero glanced down at the small brunette who was still behind that Wakaba girl. "L-Lily's got that evil I-will-kill-you glint in her eyes again…c-could you kindly bring her back to the stables…?" She said, while Lily continued to glare at her, grunting crankily. That horse was like a second Zero but twice the size and probably a hell of a lot stronger as well. The silver haired male sighed, and led Lily off to the stables.

Sayori had said that Yuriko reacted quicker than himself…she'd dodged the attack before he'd intercepted. He shook his head dismissing the thought, concentrating on bringing Lily back to the stables before she lost her temper once more.

"Yuriko hurry up or we're leaving you behind…" Zero groaned, brushing a hand through his hair.

It was time for yet another trip to town, to run errands for the chairman; he was going to be making dinner for them tonight and he needed a few ingredients. (God help them) And sure while they were there he asked them to pick up a few other things for him and gave them each a little bit of pocket change for helping him.

While Yuuki and Zero could hide their weapons on their person…Yuriko had to carry hers around in a white cloth. It didn't bother her that much anymore; but by god did she remember how heavy it was a year ago…

Yuriko quickly shoved her shoes on and sprinted to catch up with Yuuki and Zero both of which were well ahead of herself. Why? Because Yuriko was extremely slow and pissy for the first half an hour after waking up…she barely had time to throw on that white top and jeans, oh and then she couldn't find her godamned jacket.

"Hey…guys…do me a huge favour and…don't leave me alone…'kay?" She gasped after catching up with the two.

"Sure thing Yuri-chan!" Yuuki chirped.

Yuriko's eyebrows twitched visibly, "Yuuki…name the people who have permission to call me Yuri?"

"Uhm…Kumiko-san and Nene-chan?" She smiled obliviously.

"I don't recall you being part of my wicked trio…hence forth you can't call me Yuri! You'll reveal my secret identity!" She hissed in a whisper, looking around herself; messing of course.

"But…you said me, you and Zero-"  
"Are the platinum trio! Zero's the mascot!" Yuriko grinned, Zero didn't react outwardly; but he was definitely brutally massacring Yuriko in his mind.

Yuuki broke out in a fit of giggles, "I can see why!" And of course Yuriko couldn't help but laugh along with Yuuki. As annoying as she could be, Yuriko really did adore her.

"In other news; I'm growing my hair out a little bit!" Yuriko announced, spinning around so she could walk backwards.

"…you're going to get hit by a car Yuri-"  
"Really? Why? I'd never grow my hair back, its so annoying and it gets in the way all the time." Yuuki stated, ignoring Zero.

"Not even if your beloved _Kaname-senpai! _Asked you to~?" Yuriko trilled, curling a strand of Yuuki's short brown hair around her finger.

"…and you're ignoring me…" Zero groaned, this was exactly why he hated going into town. He had to look after a pair of overgrown children.

When they eventually did make it into town it was Zerowho decided it would be sensible to go get the things for the Chairman before they went on a shopping spree of their own. Of course the girls complained but Zero was stubborn and in the end he got his way. (Mainly because he threatened that he'd ditch prefect duties for a week.) The day went along as it usually did on a trip to the town to run errands for the chairman: they got his supplies; the majority of which were carried by Yuriko and Zero, and then Zero would accompany the girls as they wandered the shops. Correction; He and Yuuki would accompany Yuriko to a book shop and they were dragged to various shops by Yuuki. Honestly…just take Yuriko to a bookshop and she was as quiet as ever, and there was no denying how adorable she looked with a pensive look on her face as she browsed through books and manga galore, trying to decide which one to get. She only ever shut up when she was engrossed in a book.

"Can we go now? I'm getting bored…" Yuuki groaned, fed up with standing around in a silly bookshop. At least Zero had some interest in books, sure it was all he used to do when he first came to the chairman's; read books that is. Poor Yuuki never really did like books, she preferred shopping for clothes and even more so going to cafés and eating sweets.

Yuriko didn't reply but continued looking at the two books in her hand; one was a manga titled; "Pandora Hearts" while the other was called; "Clover". Neither of these were for herself but for Takuma. It was his birthday today and she felt the need to at least get him a book or something…

"Yuriko I think Yuuki's going to get a stroke if we stay in here much longer." Zero said quietly, glancing down at the two books, "Ugh…go for Pandora Hearts if your going to pick something…" He murmured quietly.

"Eh-"  
"Say a word and I'll kill you." Zero hissed in a warning, knowing that she'd presume he'd read it or something. He hadn't, it was his brother who'd read it before. And he had to admit the story line was pretty good but it just wasn't something he'd really read at all.

Yuriko just smiled happily and put Clover back where it belonged and made her way over to the cash register, much to Yuuki's relief, "Finally!" She sighed.  
"Yuuki…I was twenty minutes here…bare that in mind."

Naturally Yuuki _didn't _bare that fact in mind because the next two hours were spent going from shop to shop, market to market and then finally the café.

"Zero, Yuriko! You both should eat something too! Just take it as repayment from me for helping carry everything." Yuuki smiled, eating her bowl of parfait grinning.

Neither Yuriko nor Zero looked very pleased to be here right now, but both for different reasons. "I wanted to eat Shio Ramen." Zero said bluntly.

"I wanted to go home…" Yuriko groaned, burying her head on her arms crossed over on the table they were sitting at.

"Well…I love the parfait here, so…Yori, Yuriko and I came here last time…" Yuuki mumbled, looking away from Zero. "Hey, In all fairness! I didn't want to go here! I don't like the parfait anyway!" Yuriko snapped, her voice muffled due to the fact she still had her face buried in her arms.

"You…neither of you…can't go outside the academy alone." Zero said, looking from Yuuki; who was sitting across from him, to Yuriko who'd annoyingly decided on sitting beside him.

"I can so!" Yuuki said, pouting like a small child.

"Yeah…I can't…" Yuriko admitted sheepishly, turning her head to the side. She'd never been able to go anywhere on her own, even before coming here. Her troubles started long before her family was murdered…

Last Yuuki re-called, Yuriko had a near mental breakdown when she and Zero got separated from her at a festival…what she didn't understand was even though Yuriko was surrounded by people at the festival, she _left _the vicinity all together and hid in the shrine. Yuuki thought she was scared of being alone but apparently there was something else driving her to go so far as to face one of her fears…she never asked her about it, but she constantly wondered.

"If you go outside the school Yuuki, you remember that not all vampires are well behaved like Kaname Kuran…" Zero stated, pulling Yuuki from her thoughts. She blinked and scowled. "Shut up! I'm not afraid of what happened ten years ago!" Yuuki snapped, wolfing down her parfait down like some kind of deranged animal and set the glass cup down when it was done in irritation.

"No fair! Somehow you know lots of things about me Zero! But I know basically nothing about your past! Like whether you had any brothers or sisters or which school you-"

"Ah…Yuuki, lets not open that-"

"I had a younger brother...he died on that day…" Zero interrupted Yuriko, who looked over at him with pity. She needed to say something before things got any worse but what could she say? There was…something about the way Zero had said that…it left Yuriko doubting him. He said it so blankly, maybe he was hiding his true sorrow, it was something she often did but she would say it like it meant nothing.

"Okay…maybe we should-"

"Excuse me. Are you from the cross academy night class?" A young waitress asked, directed at Zero as she beamed at him.

"Oh you are! You look a little different from ordinary people!" Her big blue eyes were simply glittering, and it was then that Yuriko noticed that Zero was getting quite a good few stares from a lot of the girls in the café. "There's someone named Aido in the night class, right? He likes sweets and he comes here sometimes!"

"Um…!Wait…!" Yuuki tried to stop the naïve waitress but to no avail. She just continued talking away like there was nothing a miss.

"Please tell him to come again…"

The waitress started trailing off as Zero rose from his seat and began trudging for the door, "I'm leaving."

"Wait for me outside, okay?" Yuuki called.

"Did…I say something…?"

"Hmm…I wonder, maybe you just completely insulted him." Yuriko hissed sarcastically.

"Hey! How could I have insulted him? The night class students are-"  
"Arrogant, cocky, and extremely miserly. I know." Yuriko grinned at the waitress who simply scowled and turned on her heel with a prudent; 'Humph!'

"Yeah…you go do your job…you imprudent bitch…" She muttered under her breath.

"Hey…Yuriko, why is it…that you can't go outside the academy alone?" Yuuki asked quietly.

"Ah…well…" Yuriko started, looking away from Yuuki. Should she tell her? Yuuki was a great secret keeper but Yuriko was unsure if it was such a good idea to tell her about…

"Your family was murdered by a vampire too…is that why?"

"Y-Yeah…kind of…" She muttered, omitting the truth once more. Or in other words lying. "Yuuki…I thought Zero was the buzz kill not you! Hurry up with your parfait and lets go, I need to have a nap…"

"And then-…Zero's not here…" Yuriko said, looking around for the silver haired boy but not spotting him anywhere.

"Where…did he go?"  
"If I knew that I wouldn't be looking…"

'_He wouldn't have…run away…would he?'_

Yuriko gulped, looking around her once more. "Hey Yuuki may-" Yuriko took in a shaky breath as she realized that Yuuki was nowhere to be seen either.

All alone in a town she barely knew, "Okay…keep it together, just wait here and they'll come back for you…"

Yuriko jumped and jolted at every little sound, including the little bell that rang when people entered and left the café. Time passed and soon she started panicking a little as the sun was beginning to set.

She slid down the stone wall of the café and brought her knees up to hide her face, she needed to calm down. They'd come to get her, definitely.

"_But what if something happened to them…what if they were attacked…?"_

Yuriko bit her lip, pulling her knees up closer, she had to ignore it. She had to ignore that voice in her head, it was wrong. They were fine, Zero had the bloody rose with him and Yuuki had airtimes. Even so…

Yuriko started hyperventilating and whimpering, "S-Stop…Y-Your being silly now…" She said to herself.

"Yuriko-chan!"

She jumped once again, looking up. "T-Takuma? What…what the hell are you doing here?" Yuriko asked, trying to bring herself to a stand once more, feeling a lot more at ease.

"Ah…well me and Shiki had a job to do, are you alright?" He asked, concern in his tone and general demeanour, "Yuuki told me that she hadn't realized that you didn't follow her…I…uhm…kind of panicked a little bit…" He laughed sheepishly.

"No…No I'm fine and…thanks- Ah! Happy birthday by the way!"

Takuma smiled, "Thanks~ But really…are you okay?"

Yuriko sighed over dramatically, getting on her feet, "I'm perfectly fine. Now then…uh…oh…fuck…" She cursed, "Y-You…have Pandora Hearts…the first volume, don't you?" She mumbled, realizing _now _why that cover looked so familiar…

"Yep, why do you ask-…ah…"

"I'm…sorry…" Yuriko grinned sheepishly, taking the book out from its paper bag.

Takuma smiled, "It's the thought that counts, Yuriko. Besides, I lost Pandora Hearts a long while ago and I was looking for a new copy."  
Just as Yuriko was about to reply she was interrupted by a breathless Yuuki. "Yuriko! I'm so sorry for leaving you like that! I thought you followed!" Yuuki gasped, throwing her arms around the small girl in an apology.

"Its alright, I'm fine!" Yuriko smiled, wrapping her arms awkwardly around Yuuki.

Soon Zero and Shiki appeared, and by the time they'd all parted ways it occurred to Yuriko that Takuma must have taken Pandora Hearts in spite of the fact he probably had that same copy. Ah…it was so easy to tell when he was lying about his manga collection, she herself knew his collection like the back of her hand. Funny how she had an amazing memory for manga, books and other things but was completely hopeless when it came to school.

Regardless, Yuriko could feel a cloud of melancholy forming above her head. The only reason she stayed where she was…was because Yumiko had once done that. Yuriko got separated from her once while they were in town, she looked everywhere for her and it turned out she had been waiting where they had last been. Yumiko had always been clever that way…

"Yuriko, are you alright?"  
"Eh- I'm fine…just a bit tired…is all." Yuriko muttered, as the memories of her past invaded her mind followed by a huge amount of regrets for things she did and didn't say to her loved ones…


	10. Melancholic

**A/N: **Blargh. Now I'm numbering things wrong =_=

* * *

10. Melancholic

After that Yuriko slipped into a state of melancholy. It was very rare for her to be so depressed and gloomy.

Her normally happy, hyper aura was gone and she just stayed silent, just like she did two years ago…

And it this present moment in time it was starting to concern the chairman as he prepared the dinner for the evening. She just stood by the counter helping with setting the table, her face completely devoid of that bright smile of hers, replaced with an impassive, blank look. Just what on earth was going through that girl's head?

Zero sighed, this was rather disturbing to him. Yuriko not being hyper and stupid, (or smiling at the least) it was actually kind of grotesque. And with that thought in mind, Zero walked over to the direction of Yuriko; deciding to use the excuse of needing to get at the plates.

"Yuriko, its not your fault Yuuki was an idiot and decided to wander off on her own. I was the one who ran off in the first place, so stop moping around…Its fucking freaking me out." He snapped, reaching for the near by plates. The longer she sulked like this the more guilty Zero became and the more Yuuki would start to worry.

"That's not it…" She muttered, staring blankly at the counter top.

"Then what-"  
"Kiryuu-kun~! I need your help!" The chairman called, sounding a little bit troubled to say the least. Zero scoffed silently and placed the plates down on the counter, "Go be useful and set the table, this conversation isn't over."

Great, now Zero was going to be giving her 'the look' all through out dinner. 'The look' was something like a glare with a pressing edge. It was something only Zero managed to pull off, but again he was a master of all kinds of glares…

After setting the table Yuriko took it upon herself to slip up the stairs and into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She needed to calm herself down.

She'd been thinking about her twin sister far too much for her own liking. It happened a lot, she'd just start thinking about Yumiko or someone else from her 'previous life', the life she had in Ireland and then she'd start getting melancholic. She could usually mask it very well but apparently the events of earlier had worn her emotional tolerance down.

Yuriko shook her head and flopped down onto her bed, looking at the mess that was her room. Over the past year or so she'd managed to make this once plain guest room her own. There were photographs and random posters on the wall, amongst them were little tickets or other such seemingly pointless things. Her desk just across from her bed was a cluttered mess of note books, pens, markers and pencils and her floor…actually she could see her floor today, she thought exaggerating the fact that she never brought her laundry down. It wasn't like she forgot to, she was just lazy and knew that in the end someone else would do it for her. The only part of her room that was properly organized was her book shelf. Manga dominated the majority of both the shelf and the free space of floor beside it. She had a couple of regular books as well, but she tended not to buy books as much as she did manga. She wasn't too good at reading hiragana or kanji yet and often had to pester Yuuki or Zero to help her.

There was a knock at her door followed by an attempt to open it that may as well have scared the living daylights out of Yuriko, "Yeah, yeah…" She sighed, unlocking and opening the door to a rather…irritated looking Zero.

"Why was your door locked?" He asked bluntly, entering her room.

"Because I wanted my privacy…? I never ask you why your doors locked half the-"

"Yuriko, what ever the hell kind of mood you've been in this evening has really been annoying me. What the fuck is wrong?"

Maybe it was because of his damned blood type, but Zero found that he was sensitive to the needs of others. Mainly Yuuki and Yuriko. When either of them started acting out of character he started asking questions because…well he wasn't used to either of them being…unlike their usual selves. It happened more often with Yuriko than Yuuki and most of the time he wouldn't ask because he knew how sore a reaction it would get out of her. But to hell with it, she wasn't just bothering him but Yuuki as well and that poor girl had enough on her shoulders. She was attacked by a level E for crying out loud!

"Its none of your business, and I'm fine now, so go play chief with the chairman before he destroys the dinner." Yuriko trilled, patting Zero on the head as she smiled and pointed in the direction that lead out of her room.

He glared at her from behind the silver strands of hair, "Yuriko…don't lie. You're not okay. If you were okay-"  
"Since when were you me? Look, I'm fine now. I ain't going to be acting weird anymore."

Zero closed his eyes, pushing back his urge to push Yuriko any father than this. She wasn't going to tell him she wasn't okay, he knew this and at the same time he was so damn annoyed that she was lying to him. "Now if you'll parnodame, I have a dinner to eat."

For the most part dinner was silent, save for the chairman's attempt at making his food sound appetising. (It seemed he was playing 'mommy' to Yuriko by the looks of it. That guy really needed counselling.) 'His style' of food was…a bit off, it wasn't so bad that it would make you want to hurl, it was just bland really. Yuriko was thinking this while she watched as Yuuki was sent off into some kind of daydream. For once Yuuki was doing the musing while Yuriko wondered what she was thinking. Well…it wasn't too hard to guess. Zero had told her that Takuma invited her to come to the moon dorms this evening, and while those two thought it was because of something serious Yuriko knew that in reality he was either ordered to do it, or he just wanted more guests at his birthday party. She had been invited beforehand but…the idea of going into an area with one hundred plus crafty vampires didn't appeal to Yuriko. "Ah…" Of course, this was to get her to go, if she had Yuuki and Zero with her there was nowhere she couldn't go. She saw his game now…

Yuriko was brought back to reality by the sound of rattling and finally noticed that Zero was holding that black case and a small clear box with tablets in them, blood tablets by the looks of it. She blinked guiltily and decided to ignore what had just happened. If this was going to be a norm between them…  
"This is going to be a daily thing, Yuuki. Don't look so surprised." Zero said.  
Ah Yuuki, how innocent could one girl be. It was strangely endearing at times and slightly irritating others. And while Zero decided to go kill the chairman Yuriko decided to finish up what was on her plate.

"Yuuki, I'm just going to go to my room for a bit. I'll…be joining you and Zero on your little adventure later." Yuriko smiled, getting out of her seat as she gathered her plate. Yuuki nodded distractedly, resting her head on her palm.

So after spending an hour brooding in her room, she decided that maybe a shower would help clear her thoughts a little bit. She grabbed her towels and shuffled off to the bathroom. Seeing that the towel wasn't on the door Yuriko admitted herself in, the chairman really ought to fix that lock before someone ends up dead, she thought throwing the small dark hand towel on the handle of the door.

She threw her towels down and began to pull her top off, she flung it into the clothes basket and started slipping her skirt and socks off before pausing for a moment. Yuriko turned around, her back to the mirror and looked behind her. Beginning at her left shoulder blade and stretching all the way down to the right side of her waist, that scar from fourteen years ago. She was just three years old from what she had been told. It was a jagged pale scar and one that you'd be able to see from a mile away even with Yuriko's already pale skin tone. Oh, but the fun didn't end there. She didn't just have any old scar…it _should _cause her pain whenever pressure was placed on it, it _should _be killing her right now. No, there was no pain, quite the opposite, her scar registered pain as pleasure. It didn't really bother her when she was younger but as soon as her sex drive awakened it became a bit of a problem.

Yuriko scowled at it and turned away from the mirror. Yes, she did that a lot. She didn't know why, she wasn't all that conscious about herself but that scar was one thing she was constantly reminded of, it was the only thing she was aware of. She sighed to herself as she started to undo her bra. "Oh crap…" She hissed, it was that stubborn one that always took about an hour to unclasp. The one she wanted to tear apart.  
"Lil' mother fucker…unhook yourself you fool…fucking piece of shit…Ah, there." She smiled contently to herself, finally managing to unhook at as she began to reach down for her panties.

The door clicked and creaked open, "JESUS CHRIST! GET OUT!" Yuriko screeched, covering herself, spinning around to see who it was but before she could catch the culprit the door had slammed shut…

As soon as they passed through that gate to the moon dorms the change in atmosphere was unreal. From calm and peaceful to creepy and suspicious, like a horror movie. A quiet peaceful night just waiting to be broken. Right maybe it was just because all three knew there were vampires lurking about.

There was a light breeze, which was followed by both Yuuki and Zero pulling out their weapons while Yuriko threw her hands up, "I didn't do it I swear! Oh…hi, Kain…and Aido." She smiled, feeling really stupid for not pulling her weapon out at the presence of vampires. But…she knew it was Kain and Aido, and Aido wouldn't do much with Kain around.

"Here to welcome us, vampires?" Zero snarled, pointing his gun at Kain, while Yuuki was holding the Artemis at Aido's neck.

"Yeah, only because Ichijo asked me to." Aido said, shooting a glare at Yuuki, Zero and Yuriko. "He told us to guard you so that none of our guys mess with you, unfortunately for you three, all of the night class students are here on moon dorm grounds…" Kain added grimly.

Yuriko's eyes widened in horror, she could handle a few not-crazy vampires, but more than a hundred was just pushing it a tad bit too far. Unlike level E's, they had brains and could manipulate and deceive, Yuriko wasn't stupid but she was just a bit naïve. She subtly shuffled closer to Zero, who didn't quite notice her. As long as she was close enough to Zero they wouldn't take one step near her.

As they began to walk towards the dorms, the vampires came into view, all muttering about these unwanted guests. _"The little one…she smells good, what blood type is she…?"_

Of course they wouldn't say a word about Yuuki because she was Kaname's 'dear girl' they'd get shot for it, or worse. They were talking about her, well some of them were, others had the guts to talk about Yuuki and even more so Zero…_ "Heh…what's a hunter doing on our turf- oh wait, he's a vampire too isn't he? Pity, neither humans, vampires nor hunters will ever accept him."_  
Anger burned through Yuriko but that was soon replaced with even more fear as they started stating what blood type she probably was. Yuriko's hands trembled uncontrollably as she tugged onto the edge of Zero's shirt. "If you're so damn scared just grab on my whole arm." Zero sighed, feeling the trembles coming from the little brunette, and somehow smelling her fear. And if he could then so could every other vampire in this frikken place. Easy prey in their eyes. He would have to keep an eye on her, she might be stupid enough to wander somewhere.  
"Asshole…" Yuriko muttered distractedly, apparently too uneasy to even come up with a good insult. She was glancing around nervously, it seemed like they were all staring at them. Well of course they were, three…two humans wandering nonchalantly into vampire land, who wouldn't stare. And on top of that they were all in their own clothes. It shouldn't make them anymore intimidating than usual but it did. So this was what they all really looked like…

"Here they are, vice president Ichijo."

Only when those words reached her ears Yuriko loosened her grip on Zero's jacket, loosened it, she daren't let go.

At those words, Yuriko relaxed her grip a bit. Takuma wouldn't do anything to them, he was an absolute sweetie who cried while reading sappy bits of Shojo manga.

"Well hello! Yuriko-chan, Yuuki-chan, Kiryu-kun! Tonight it's my birthday party! Do enjoy yourselves!" He greeted happily, simply glowing he was just that happy. Only Takuma would be able to completely destroy the creepy aura and throw this corner into a world of its own...

"Uh…How old are ya?" Yuriko grinned, feeling a bit more relaxed. Also she really wanted to know how old he was...she always wanted an excuse to ask.

"Hm…By terms of human or vampire years?" Takuma smiled, just to tease her.

"Uh- L-Lets go with vampire!"

"I'm eighteen! Oh, I'm all grown up! And for my birthday present Yuriko-chan, I would like a kiss!"

Yuriko gasped, stuttered and flushed bright red, "No way dude! That's just excessive!" she exclaimed. And people didn't believe that he was a sadist...he just loved teasing people, stepping on conversational land mines all the time...well usually anyway.

"W-We didn't come here to play! As members of the disciplinary committee, we want to know about what happened earlier today! I can't look the other way, leaving school grounds without permission is strictly prohibited and…furthermore, that vampire…" Yuuki trailed off.

At this point Yuriko had taken to looking around her now that she felt slightly safer in Takuma's presence. She soon spotted Rima and Shiki who seemed to be almost as bored as she was. And just as she was about to bound off Zero grabbed her wrist, "Don't you fucking dare..." He snarled quietly.

"...Zero...seriously, its Rima and Shi-"  
"Do you have a fucking death wish? A vampire's still a vampire."  
Yuriko didn't bother arguing with him, from the iron grip he had on her wrist, she could tell he wasn't about to let her go. And maybe he was right to, Rima and Shiki wouldn't even try to hurt her but they were well across the other side of where she was and she would be bound to end up desert for someone.

Well...she may as well listen to what was being said.

"Ex-human's will eventually fall to a level E class, their self-control would slowly wear away and they would meet their end."

Yuriko's mouth dropped, "Wait...what?" She mumbled. Though Zero had said something to that general effect before, she thought he meant 'if he ever went crazy for blood' not 'turn into a crazy level E'. So then...the one who attacked her family all that time ago, they used to be human once.

"There was a report that a level E would be wandering around town today, Ichijo and Shiki hunted it down under my orders" Ah, that annoying prim and proper voice…that irritating conceit that was certain to set Yuriko's teeth on edge.

Kaname Kuran.

There were whispers of how rare it was for Kaname to attended a soiree and all that jazz. While Zero was busy glaring at Kaname, Yuriko slowly started making her way towards where Shiki and Rima were, they both seemed to sigh and shake their heads.

"_Don't…_" Zero snarled, still glaring at Kaname.

Yuriko looked apologetically over at Shiki, who sighed and waved his hand motioning that it was fine.

"Yuuki, Yuriko, Kiryuu-kun, come over here." Kaname commanded swiftly, all three obliged and made their way up to where the pureblood was.

'_Wow…he even has a fancy chair…' _Yuriko thought bluntly, really, did he have to have the best for everything? Didn't vampires ever hear of a little thing called equality?

"Yuuki, come sit beside me." Kaname said gently. It wasn't even a; 'Do you want to sit beside me' or 'Please sit beside me' No. The bastard was almost demanding it. But knowing Yuuki she would give in...eventually and she did come seven seconds later. Yuriko sighed and took to standing beside Zero, seeing as he wasn't letting her go be sociable for once in her life. Kaname was flirting with Yuuki again. But not as obviously, he was just speaking in seductive tones whilst apologizing to her, and whispering into her hair at some point, which rather confused Yuriko as to why Yuuki was blushing so hard.

Just watching them made her twice as bored and nauseous. What the hell did Yuuki see in him anyway? He was a conceded bastard, a total control freak and to her, he looked like one of those guys who would do anything to get a girl in bed with him, which was what it appeared to Yuriko he was trying to do. She had her fair share of friends with broken hearts, falling for womanizers all the time.

Maybe that was why Yuriko was so frightened of the fact of falling in love with someone. Sure a little crush was fine, but love was different. To her it was deep and confusing.

Also, she felt that most times _you _fall in love with someone, chances are they don't truly love you back no matter how much you want them to. That was why she rejected every guy who approached her. She was deadly afraid of this 'fake love.' Like the ones in those soaps; A guy sees a really good looking girl, and pretends that he's in love with her. He builds up her feelings and then he would have sex with her and leave her forever. Never to see her again, looking for another target, or there were the ones who thought they loved you but when some other girl comes along, he dumps you to be with the other girl.

Yuriko had always been afraid of that, she was emotionally weak and cried really easily back then. She was scared of having her heart broken. And so she never so much as even looked at a boy, and immediately rejected them.

She told herself she would wait for someone who really would love her, but that person never came in the end. And she wasn't about to go looking in case her eyes betrayed her and she ended up broken hearted.

Finally, she gave up. And decided that love wasn't the path for her despite how much she wanted it to be. Instead she would go to collage and study medicine, or become a doctor. But that intention came to a deadly end when her family was killed. She no longer had such thoughts, all she could think of now was trying to grasp her emotions. Like now for example; She might look like she was bored out of her mind…When in actual fact she was really and truly terrified. She was standing behind Zero as much as she could.

Yuriko's personality was split in two. One side of her was that hyper, stupid, irritating little child who never seemed to stop smiling. It was the one everyone saw, or at least the one Yuriko made everyone see. The other side was well hidden but if you looked closely enough at the right moment; the cracks in her facade would become clear and through those you could tell. Yuriko wasn't quite as happy as she seemed. Shy, timid and already broken into pieces; the Yuriko from two years ago. Yuuki and Zero didn't actually notice the drastic change in her personality over the years because they never knew any better. If her old friends were to see her now, they would be in absolute shock, she was that girl who was kind of hyper but really quiet and kept herself to herself. How she had made so many friends she had no clue.

Yuriko was suddenly pulled out of her brooding as the atmosphere became unbelievably heavy and dangerous. After glancing around she soon saw why. Zero, who was standing beside her not too long ago, was now pointing a gun at Kaname's head, while Kaname's…bodyguard? What the hell was she anyways? Maybe she was his whore Anyway Kaname's bodyguard had her hand up underneath Zero's chin in an aggressive manor, her nails were sharp enough to pierce his skin apparently, because there was the smallest trickle of blood flowing from where her fingertips were. And all this happened while Yuriko was out of it; she really ought to stop zoning out.

"Seiren, its fine. The one who spoke carelessly was me." Kaname stated calmly, as Seiren lowered her hand, Zero scowled, glaring at Kaname once more as lowered his gun.

'_Zero, you got skills my bitch.' _Yuriko thought proudly, grinning at Zero who had his back turned to her.

Aido was rambling on and on about how he sooo wanted to rip Zero to shreds because he pointed the bloody rose at Kaname's head, and about how Kaname was an all mighty pureblood and by the point Yuriko had zoned out once again.

Much later, she was bored stiff along with Zero, just watching every other vampire in the room have fun. Yuriko still couldn't manage to so much as even jolt without Zero noticing, so she was stuck standing beside him. She could always make a run for it, but she would rather not draw attention to herself, all of the vampires were still on edge from earlier as it seemed.

Yuriko glanced over at Shiki and Takuma, sighing softly. However a girl with long curly brown hair who was making her way over to Zero and Yuriko, caught her eye, a challenging smiling pacing across the girls lips. She had seen her before, she was a troublemaker and left the school for a while only to come back again. Yuriko avoided her at all costs, that vampire was dangerous and brave enough to taunt Zero whenever she darn felt like it, she teased him to the point where he'd pull the bloody rose out and it shoot at her.

Yuriko tugged onto the end of Zero's jacket once again, stepping behind him as if she was a shy child, looking at the ground anxiously. Zero glanced back at her, confused but he didn't say anything. If she wanted to hide behind him all night then that was fine with him however he soon saw who'd caused Yuriko's sudden unease. A young female vampire...and a familiar one at that.

"No need to be frightened I won't bite." She smirked, "I wouldn't want to get in trouble now would I? I'm no bad girl" She winked.

Zero groaned, rolling his eyes, so it was _her. _Hirai Kokoro. A noble class vampire with serious behavior problems. He'd seen her little act so many times before, and it was starting to get old, even if the others couldn't see through her façade, he most certainly could. Annoying…dear god she was almost ten thousand times worse than Yuriko could ever hope to be. Hirai was stubborn and never did as she was told unless it was an order from Kaname, Shiki or Kain. The biggest flirt he had ever come across and she took joy in making Zero loose his temper. She was the worst vampire in the night class, even more so than Aido.

"Hirai…please just go…" He groaned, taking a noticeable yet subtle step in front of Yuriko, who was all but radiating with fear. Yuriko in turn took a step behind him, still clinging to the end of his jacket. She didn't like that vampire at all, this Hirai, she scared Yuriko. She seemed intimidating and didn't understand what the word 'No' meant or 'stop' for that matter. Hirai had bitten Yuriko once and Zero was none to happy about it either at the time. She remembered having a full on panic attack, she was so frightened she couldn't move...it was more than enough to leave her terrified of Hirai.

The noble scoffed her eyes sombre, her playful smile now evaporated, "You'd do well not to speak to me in that tone of you know what's good for you…" She took a nimble step towards the silver haired prefect, their faces so close that they were almost touching making Zero feel sick to his stomach, "_Cross_" she hissed in a vindictive tone. Zero glared at Hirai intensely as she pulled her face away, he gripped the bloody rose at his side, gritting his teeth.

"Zero…no. There's no point…" Yuriko whispered quietly, finally plucking up the courage to come out from behind Zero as she gently touched his hand. Her hand was a lot cooler in contrast to Zero's; but then again he did have his hands shoved in his pockets all night.

Zero scowled but loosened his grip, she was right for once. There was no point in loosing his temper, over such a foul little vampire. "What the fuck...?" Yuriko muttered, staring in disbelief at the scene just across from her. And Zero made the mistake of looking; Shiki had cut Takuma's hand and he was currently 'cleaning' the wound. Zero felt his throat stiffen tightly at the scent of the blood and he made yet another mistake by glancing down at Yuriko who looked completely and utterly confused. He stared at her bare neck, her hair just barely brushing it...he'd never bitten her before, but her neck looked so pale and soft. Zero gritted his teeth again, feeling utterly disgusted with himself; how could he have thought of that? Regardless, his lips became dry, his mouth had started watering and now his throat was becoming unbearably tight.

"Excuse me." Hirai said sweetly, sauntering over to Ichijo and Shiki. Almost as soon as Hirai said that Zero bolted from where he was, bumping into Yuriko causing her to let go of his jacket, his throat was so unbelievably tight and dry, and as he brushed past Yuriko he could almost hear her pulse…that delicious smell of sweet blood. He broke into a mad run, pushing and shoving past the hoards of vampires, the sounds of Yuuki and Yuriko arguing hit his ears but he countinued running. He wouldn't allow himself to bite anyone else, not again...but he wanted it, he needed it so badly; blood. He needed it to the point where he could hardly breath and the fact it was humid didn't help with his situation either. Clutching his blood tablets he shoved them into his mouth, knowing they would do him no good, but he needed to sedate his hunger, only if momentarily...

Yuuki and Yuriko both ran after him, both for similar reasons. Yuuki just wanted to leave this awful place and now Zero was running away for some reason, as for Yuriko she just wanted to know why the hell Zero ran off like that. Though she had a pretty good guess. Shiki drinking Takuma's blood must have agitated him.

"Yuriko! Wait here, I'll go get Zero!" Yuuki said quickly, bolting after the silver haired male.  
"Hey! Wait a minute...!"

Yuriko broke down into a jog and then stopped, watching as Yuuki ran onwards. It wasn't that she was doing as she was told, she just couldn't run anymore. Her stomach hurt and she had a stitch somewhere too. She fell to her knees and started panting heavily. "...'should be more fit than this..." She breathed to herself.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was still in a crowd of vampires and now her pulse was going ninety. "...Ho...fuck..."

This wouldn't end well unless she bolted after Zero as well. She could just as easily go back to Takuma either...but she was worried about the idiot.

"Yuriko-chan! Are you alright?"

"Takuma...? Yeah...I'm fine its just Zero ran off, and I was worried...but Yuuki told me to stay here and..." She ran out of breath before she could finish her sentence. Honestly now, she ran around the school all day and night and she was still about as fit as a sloth.

"You shouldn't have just run off like that, there are a lot of vampires here tonight who would be gusty enough to bite you, even with Kaname around."

Yuriko would have laughed sarcastically if she wasn't still gasping for air. Kaname wouldn't care less if she got bitten or not.

Takuma brought Yuriko back to the party and she finally had a chance to talk to Shiki and Rima.

"Kiryuu's awfully protective of you and Yuuki-san, isn't he?" Rima noted, sipping on her drink; water with a dissolved blood tablet, likely.

"Ah, well then again I too am protective of Yuuki and Zero..." She trailed off.  
Before Yuriko could send herself on yet another guilt trip Shiki cut in; "You know me, Rima and Ichijo-san are protective of you as well, Yuriko."

The pair gave her a genuine look and Yuriko smiled, "Mmm, and I'm grateful for that."

"Well...you don't tend to get yourself in too much trouble most of the time..." Rima sighed, shooting a glance at the rest of the vampires. As expected they were all keeping a close eye on Yuriko, waiting for her to leave the safety of her friends so they could move in for the kill.

"Heh...wouldn't you like to know. Did I ever tell you about the time me, Nene-chan and Kumi pink-afied a classroom?" The brunette began, a little bit of a glimmer in her eye. The two models raised both their eyebrows at her.

Suddenly the sound of gun fire echoed through the sky and Yuriko's eyes widened, _'Don't hum, don't hum!' _She prayed, alas; that strange humming sound that often came from an anti-vampire gun was shot followed and Yuriko ran for it. Rima caught her arm, "Are you insane?"

"A fucking gun went off Rima! What if Zero was shot? I need to go!" Her voice was shaking, she looked completely terrified. Kiryuu had indeed been shot, the scent of his blood filled the air around them. Rima could either let Yuriko go, or tell her a lie and say it was another vampire who'd been shot. If she let her go, Yuriko might end up being bitten by another vampire but if she didn't she'd feel guilty and Yuriko would find out later that Rima had lied to her. The trust that was so difficultly gained...

"Hurry up and don't come crying to me when you get bitten." Rima mumbled, letting Yuriko bolt off.  
"Rima...you know she has Midnight Sun with her...right?" Shiki said, causing Rima to almost face palm. Of course she had that sword with her but she still had no idea how to handle the damned thing!

Yuriko was in a complete state of panic, she didn't know where the gun fire had come from and she was following her instincts now. Why? Why didn't she go after Zero when he had left first?

"Zero! Yuuki..You...?"


	11. Antagonism and exculpation

**A/N: **DUN. DUN. DUUUUUUUUUNNNN!

* * *

11. Antagonism and exculpation

Yagari cast his eyes over to the young girl who had just arrived on the scene; she was small and had a rather petite built as well, not a lot of muscle tone. She had brown hair that resembled that of a pixy and her completion was pale enough for Yagari to cop that she wasn't from around here.

"Yuriko...!"

"...Why the hell...why is...? What happened?" Yuriko was breathless and not only from running; her eyes had landed on Zero. He was holding his shoulder as if he was in pain and the water was now tinted with blood, his blood. Yuuki didn't seem to be harmed at all but she would surely catch a cold if she stayed in the water much longer.

"You…you're one of that dimwit's adopted daughters…?" He mumbled, so this is was the traumatized little child from two years ago, the one they still only had a vague record of.

"No! Stop! Why has it come to violence? This is why I hate vampire hunters!" Speak of the devil; the chairman had come from nowhere, running at Yagari, yanking his gun off of him; "I had a bad feeling so I came here! This is why I hate vampire hunters!" He snapped, "More over, how long to you plan to leave a girl to soak in the water?"

Yuriko blinked and came back to life as she rushed over to the side of the small pond to help Yuuki out. She wasn't hurt...so all of that blood was from Zero after all.

"Are you alright?" Yuriko asked, feeling guilt all but well up inside of her and with a heavy feeling of nostalgia coming over her, she knew that she wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine but..." Yuuki glanced over at the injured Zero who was just getting out of the water now. She stood up and made her way over to the man with the eye-patch. "Just...who are you?" She asked.

"Touga Yagari, a vampire hunter and Zero's former teacher. Right, Zero?"

The silver haired boy paused, "Yes."

"Yuuki, Yuriko, you two should go back to your dorms." The chairman ordered swiftly, the two girls looked at Zero and then at each other and nodded silently.

"Yuuki...what happened?"

"Oh...when I found Zero he was throwing up, he can't take the blood tablets anymore. He tried to bite me and I panicked and jumped into the water, and then that man appeared all of a sudden and shot Zero. Then you came along..."

Great. Now Zero couldn't take the blood tablets meaning that he no longer had a source of nourishment. "Fuck...oh shit!"

"What? What is it Yuriko?" Yuuki gasped, turning to face Yuriko who had stopped in her tracks a little while ago.

"Yuuki; think about it. If Zero can't take blood tablets then its like hes starving himself, its like a human being allergic to water!"  
Yuuki's face seemed to pale and her big brown eyes widened with shock, "Then...he'll fall to a level E that much faster..."

Now they were both in a state of panic, one of them needed to think of something. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Zero looked like he was having suicidal thoughts again, though Yuriko felt it best not to inform Yuuki of that fact, the poor thing looked...no she was actually crying.

"Yuuki...look, I'll think of something. Don't...try not to worry about it...ah..." Yuriko gave up on words and just held the crying girl silently in her arms. She was soaked to the skin and shivering, "Come on, we can just go back to the house. Its closer and you could use a hot shower, huh?"

It was hard for Yuriko not to break down crying herself at this moment, but for now she could focus on getting Yuuki warm.

In the end Yuuki returned to her dorm while Yuriko stayed in the house. She felt like she shouldn't go back to her dorm- it seemed like Zero needed his privacy for now.

She was laying on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, completely lost in her own thoughts. Zero couldn't take the blood tablets anymore, meaning he no longer had a source of 'nutrition' as it seemed. Not only would he fall to a level E all that much faster but he'd have to suffer. If she recalled correctly the last time Zero had blood was when he drank from Yuuki which was weeks and weeks ago. "He must be in agony by now..." She mumbled to herself. Not only that but he'd been shot with an anti-vampire gun which must have raised his blood thirst even higher.

"Damn it, I'm thinking in circles here!" She hissed to herself, "All I'm doing is thinking about what happened...I need to think of what I can do to help for gods sakes!"

She'd been laying on that sofa for the past hour just helplessly trying to think of something to do but apparently she wasn't getting anywhere. If Zero couldn't take the blood tablets...and he needed blood...then the only way to do so was if either she or Yuuki gave him some of their blood. But such a thing wasn't allowed on campus, no scratch that offering your blood to a vampire was like a sin or something. It was all she could think of though...

If that was what had to be done then she'd do it but she needed to think of doing it in such a way no one would figure out. No, that was impossible, at least one vampire on campus would smell the blood and it would probably be Kaname as well. He was basically vampire Jesus and had super senses, apparently healing powers too. If Yuriko gave her blood to Zero Kaname would murder her...but if Yuuki did it it was extremely likely that he wouldn't say anything of it. But the question was _would _Yuuki do it? There was only one way to find out; tomorrow morning Yuriko was going to have to ask her.

"Well...I'm a total bitch aren't I...?" Yuriko mumbled with a morbid smile, finally bringing herself to sit up. She glanced over at the clock which read half past four in the morning. She sighed to herself and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. Almost as soon as she closed that door she heard the sound of another open.

"_I'm sorry about this Kiryuu-kun..."_

Zero was downstairs! With the chairman as well. Yuriko pressed her ear to her door to listen in on what was being said.

"Whatever..." Zero sighed, admitting himself into the empty guest room. Solitary confinement, just what he needed.

The chairman frowned, "Should I tell the girls about this?"  
"No...they don't-" Zero suddenly gritted his teeth, "Yuriko! You've got 'till five to get your ass down here!"

The door from upstairs clicked open and it was followed by the sounds of Yuriko's light near silent footsteps. "I...uh...didn't go back to the dorm because I thought you'd be there...wanting some alone time, but I guess not!" She smiled nervously. Zero glared at her icily, oh he was in such a bad mood right about now. The last thing he needed was Yuriko trying to be witty.

"Now, now, Kiryuu-kun. At least she was being considerate...she just didn't know you'd be having your alone time here!"  
And now the chairman had decided to join in. Great. Just fucking great, everything was going his way tonight wasn't it?

"Yuriko, I need to talk to you anyway. Kiryuu-kun, you go get some rest for now."

Zero grunted and shuffled into the room, slamming the door behind himself. Alright maybe there wasn't any need for him to glare at Yuriko like that, it was unusually nice of her to want to leave him alone for a while...especially seeing as he badly needed it at the moment.

Zero sat down on the bed, sighing heavily to himself as he tried to keep a hold on his blood thirst. The fact that he wanted that red crimson liquid...that iron tang on his tongue...it sickened him beyond anything and yet he craved it to the point where he couldn't breath. He let out a low groan and began to cradle himself, this desire was way too much for him to handle; his head was killing him from all this restraint and his throat was in complete agony, his thirst was pleading for him to give in but he refused. He wouldn't let himself, if it meant that he'd be an excruciating amount of pain then so be it...

"My name is Azami Iwasawa, its nice to meet you."

Yuriko smiled weakly at her new dark haired roommate. She stood much taller than Yuriko and was wearing what appeared to be tracksuit bottoms, a tee-shit and a hoody. Definitely a senior to Yuriko by the looks of it. And apparently her previous roommate left the school due to various circumstances, hence forth Yuriko could finally stay in the girls dorms but she wasn't as happy as she'd thought she'd be.

"Uh...are you coming in or what?"

"Oh, sorry! I zoned out there for a second." She smiled weakly, stepping into the room. Automatically Yuriko found herself spotting all the differences. Firsly Iwasawa's side of the room was covered with posters of various rock bands and she spotted a guitar in the corner at the end of her bed. So she was a musical type.

"Wow...you sure like zoning out huh?" Azami noted, flopping back into her bed. Despite how she was acting she was extremely annoyed that she had to be woken up at nearly four in the morning to greet her new roommate who was the rather infamous Yuriko Murigan no less. Azami didn't exactly have anything against her; she was one of the few girls who couldn't care less about the night class. But from what she had seen of her she seemed awfully distant, maybe she had something on her mind. Azami wasn't about to ask, she didn't want anything to do with this girl. She was trouble. Being a prefect had its perks and let downs. Firstly, most of the school's students hated them. Not only did they get to be with the 'dreamy' night class students but they were also allowed to break curfew just to patrol the school. Yuriko was part of the trio of hooligans that occasionally liked to cause havoc just because they were bored which ended with the students hating her a little more. _And _as if all of that wasn't enough, she had been sharing a dorm with Zero Kiryuu; the hottest guy in the day class, gorgeous enough to be in the night class. If you didn't have a thing for the night class then you either already had a boyfriend, you didn't swing that way, or else you had the hots for Zero Kiryuu. Azami actually had a bit of a thing for him but she had yet to confess her feelings and from watching others attempting to do so...well a silent mouth was sweet was it not?

"Go ahead and get changed, the bathroom is just over there. I had a spare pair of pajamas, I apologize if they don't fit you." She sighed, flicking her hand in the general direction of the bathroom.

"Mmm, thank you, Iwasawa-senpai." Yuriko smiled, taking the clothes into the bathroom.

For the first time since starting school Yuriko had woken herself up. She stared at the ceiling for a while in a daze of sorts, wondering why the wall was on the wrong side. The events of the night before soon sank into Yuriko's mind and her stomach suddenly knotted with anxiety. She glanced over at her new roommate who was sleeping quite blissfully, then her eyes caught sight of the clock; _'05:30'. _So she'd barely slept for an hour.

Despite being in the exact same building this dorm and what was now Zero's dorm couldn't have been anymore different in Yuriko's eyes. She was used to seeing those dull green-grey walls...and now she was waking up to light mahogany ones. Also there wasn't a sink in the corner, meaning Iwasawa wouldn't try to wake her up via a glass of water. It also smelled different, there was a heavy scent of perfume and deodorant around the place and it wasn't something Yuriko was used to at all. Being so accustomed to her own smell, all she could smell in Zero's (and what used to be her) dorm was...Zero really. His scent was nearly indescribable, all she knew was that it was a really nice smell and it calmed her down from time to time. Kind of like the way her mum's scent did long ago...even though she smelled heavily of cigarettes, it was still a soothing smell to Yuriko.

Her thoughts soon wandered back to Zero and soon she started worrying. Was he really okay? He seemed really agitated last night...obviously, he hadn't had blood in ages. And he must have been in a lot of pain too.

"...if I ever lose the human side of me and go mad as a vampire…Shoot me with this gun." He stated looking; When the day comes that I start loosing my sanity…kill me by your hands."

_She let out a sudden cry as the scene filled her dreams. She was now, in her own dorm with Zero, or what used to be Zero. His silver hair was tossed and messy, his eyes blood-shot and crimson red as he stared hungrily at Yuriko through his silver strands. He let out a low beastly growl as he bit his lip drawing blood. _

_She was fumbling with the gun, finger on the trigger of the bloody rose, unwilling to pull it. "Yuriko…j-just…ugh-nnn-ah! Kill me! Just end this!" He yelled, digging his nails into the wooden floor, clenching down on his teeth, attempting to restrain himself. He looked like he was in so much pain._

"_I-I c-can't-"  
"…'trusted you…" He hissed through gritted teeth. Suddenly he lunged at her, Yuriko screamed, her hand shuddering for a moment as she accidentally pulled on the trigger. Zero fell backwards, sighing to himself._

_Yuriko dropped the gun and reached out to him, only to find a pile of glittering dust. Her eyes widened, she killed him. She killed him…! The small brunette took in a choked breath-_

Yuriko lurched forward, screaming at the top of her lungs through tears.  
"Hey! Whats wrong?" Azami gasped, nearly jumping out of her skin; though Yuriko looked in more of a fret than herself.

"...ah...hah...sorry...nightmare..." She sobbed quietly, wiping her eyes frantically.

"R-Right...I'm heading down to get some breakfast...uh...I-I'll talk to you later, your uniforms just there." The dark haired girl exited the room awkwardly. And sure she had every right to, her brand new roommate just had a panic attack right in front of her. Yuriko had a feeling their relationship wouldn't exactly improve any time soon.

Yuriko didn't bother having breakfast that morning and soon realized what a bad idea that was. Because after her first class she was absolutely famished.  
"Yuuuukkiiii...! Please tell me you have your emergency chocolate in today...!" She groaned, perching her head in front of Yuuki on her desk.

"Sorry...I...um, forgot."

Yuriko blinked; of course she did. What with everything that happened last night...

"Oh shit! Yuuki! I need to talk to you at lunch time, its important." She said quickly, noticing that mister Otonashi had just walked in. Yuriko scurried back into her seat, smiling sweetly at the sour old teacher. Not as evil as miss Kuze but he was still pretty cranky.

For some reason...that one single class lasted for what seemed to be eternity before the bell finally rang. Yuriko shot up from her seat and walked over to Yuuki, "Ready yet?"  
"Oh...you two are spending lunch together I presume then?" Kumiko muttered quietly from her seat, slightly jealous that Yuriko was spending less time with her and more with Yuuki and Zero. Something in the back of her head told her that things weren't going so well for those prefects. Someone was causing trouble and it was most likely to be Zero. He was such a fool sometimes.

"So...whats the plan? Tell me!" Yuuki hissed once they were finally alone together.

"Lemme explain first! Otherwise you'll think I'm insane!"  
Yuuki let out a breath, "Okay."

"Because Zero's a vampire he obviously needs blood. But because there are blood tablets as an alternate to actual human blood he must have taken them for some time...or maybe he never did, we don't know." Yuriko said before closing her eyes, "The only possible way that we can help him right now...is if we give him our blood."

Yuuki gasped suddenly, it was the reaction Yuriko knew she would get...

"But! But drinking blood-"  
"On school grounds is forbidden, I know that!" She snapped, "Listen...if I give Zero my blood there's no doubt that Kaname will kill me. You _know _he doesn't like me Yuuki so don't say he does. If you give your blood to Zero then there's no way he'd say anything."

Yuuki looked at her feet. What Yuriko was saying made sense...but giving her blood to Zero would be like betraying Kaname. He'd said it before; he couldn't stand the fact that Zero had bitten her and to have that happen again... Yet at the same time she wanted to help Zero and from the look in Yuriko's eyes it was killing her that she couldn't do anything to help him without being punished for it. Giving her blood to Zero like that could result in suspension or worse and Yuuki knew how much Yuriko needed to be in school. She was improving her Japanese way faster this way and seeing as she'd be here for...well god knows how long she really did need that.

"I...I'll do it. But I...what if I'm not there when Zero needs blood...Yuriko?"  
"Then I'll give him mine when that time comes. Its just that right now...if I make the first move it will only end in disaster for everyone. Its not like I'm using you Yuuki I just...need your help. Believe me if I could keep you from all of this I would but its nearly impossible for me to do anything alone." She admitted quietly.

The bell rang loudly, causing both girls to nearly jump out of their skins. "Right listen; Zero's in the guest room at the house, I have miss Kuze now so I really have to go. I'm so sorry to dump all of this on you hun!" Yuriko said, bolting from the empty classroom.

Around two hours into patrol Yuriko suddenly realized what a bitch come coward she was. She could have easily said; 'Screw this, I'm going to give my blood to Zero so fuck you Kuran!' But she didn't...instead she was using Yuuki as a fucking scapegoat, a test to see if Kuran would let her do such a thing.

"Good evening, miss Mulligan."  
Ah...speak of the devil.

"Hi...Kuran-senpai..." She mumbled, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

"You...wouldn't happen to know where Yuuki is, would you?" From the tone in his voice...she knew, he knew that she'd done something. She looked up at him, "I haven't a clue."

The pureblood smirked darkly, "I don't approve of liars like yourself...but I'll let it slide. You've served me well this day..."

"P...pardon?" Yuriko's eyebrows knitted. What? She hadn't done anything to help this bastard. Unless...he was doing that thing he did to tease her sometimes...

"You'll understand one day, or perhaps not." He smirked again, this time there was a dangerous glint in his eyes as he swept past her.

Maybe she was more useful to him than he'd first thought. Yuriko was clever, Kaname would give her that much. Though she'd helped with this little game he couldn't help but resent her for it, as well as Kiryuu. To think that filthy boy was sinking his fangs into his beloved's neck...she didn't deserve to be devoured so mercilessly like this...but it was necessary...for later events...

Yuriko lay in bed once again, staring at the ceiling. As expected; Zero had drank Yuuki's blood. As a bonus he said he'd be coming into classes tomorrow...but Yuriko didn't buy it for one second. The last time she saw him he looked dark, hopeless and depressed. Ready to die by his teacher's hand. The fact that he'd gave into the beast inside and drank Yuuki's blood could have only made him feel worse.

"Fuck!" She hissed, hitting herself on the head. How could she have miscalculated this so badly! She was so stupid! Now she'd have to skip ethics- "Wait...if Yagari teaches Ethics in the morning then..." He couldn't kill him if he had to teach...so Yuriko would still have some time to talk some sense into that idiot.

Yuriko wasn't the only one worrying, Yuuki was laying awake doing the exact same thing.

True...her blood had helped Zero in the sense that his wound had healed and he was no longer thirsty but...the look on his face as she left worried her. He seemed so hopeless...but he promised he'd come into classes tomorrow- well in a few hours. "Even so I'm worried..."

The clock above the blackboard seemed to be agonisingly slow today. It was five minutes past class time, and both Yuriko and Yuuki were starting to get more and more anxious as that little red needle moved at the speed of a snail.

"Yuri-chan, you look nervous about something, are you okay?"

Yuriko looked up at her blonde haired friend, Nene, who'd been sobbing again this morning since she saw a bird fly into a tree and die...which Yuriko found hilarious by the way (she's a tad bit sadistic). Nene's eyes were still rimmed red.

"I'm fine Nee-chan. And…you realize your sitting in...I dunno what you call him, but Zero's seat right?"  
"EVIL LORD TATTOO NECK? AHHHHHG!" Nene screamed and darted out the door.

"Alright class Yagari-sensei can't come in today so-"

Yuuki suddenly stood up in her seat and started darting for the door, "Shit!" Yuriko hissed, following after Yuuki. This wasn't good. They'd wasted precious amounts of time sitting on their arses! One of them should have known he'd do this!

Yuriko's leg cramped up half-way there but she wasn't stopping, not even for the damned pope. Not now.

Yuuki swung the guest room door open with a slam, there was Zero sitting on the floor while the dark haired vampire hunter was pointing his own bloody rose at him.  
Zero saw them, Yuirko and Yuuki staring in horror at what he was about to do. In that instant, his eyes widened, _what are they doing here?_

Yuriko was planted to the ground, so many emotions rushed through her all at once. Anger, distress, heartache, antagonism and desolation. She wanted to let out a cry, she wanted to yell Zero's name, but her voice wouldn't come. It was like it was stuck in a state of panic.

Yuuki however, did cry out, "No! Zero!"

Just as his sensei pulled the trigger Zero pushed the bloody rose up, forcing it to miss and hit the wall instead. The young hunter cringed, awaiting his sensei's scolding for doing such a thing.

"You finally decided to stop waiting for me to kill you..." He stated calmly, letting go of the gun, leaving it in his student's hand. "Damn it. Don't you remember?"

Yuriko was in complete shock, she couldn't stop staring at Zero. Her eyes were wide with horror; he'd really intended to let that man kill him. Had Yuuki and herself not have come when they did...he would be dead by now, reduced to nothing but ash. Her emotions were bouncing off the walls of her heart and she wasn't sure how she should react to all of this. She was angry because he was being a total idiot, she was distressed because she didn't know how to do right now. The reason her heart was in agony...was because she'd almost let someone dear to her die again.

Yagari glanced at the little girl, she was in a state of shock. How she would react not even he knew but his work here was done; best leave it to the little girls to look after him.

Yuuki timidly walked over to Zero, "Zero…I…really thought you were going to die…" She clutched the end of her skirt to stop the on coming tears to no avail. She was so scared he was going to die, that she wouldn't have made it on time.

Zero stood up, Yuuki was upset. He wanted to hold her, but…he couldn't. Because no matter who she looked at…she would always be looking at Kuran, no matter what.

He patted her head instead, ruffling her soft brown hair a little, "I won't run away anymore. So don't cry, Yuuki." He said softly.

Zero turned his attention to Yuriko who was staring at the floor, her fringe covering most of her face. He walked over to her, "Yuriko…its okay I-"

She retorted with the a sharp slap across the face, "You...how dare you...How fucking dare you!" She yelled, "What the hell did you think you were achieving by killing yourself? Did you think that a burden would be lifted off our shoulders? Think again jackass!" Yuriko was completely and utterly disgusted with him, she knew that part of her was just frustrated and that she was taking it out on Zero. But hell, he needed a slap across the face anyway.

"Y-Yuriko-"

"Shut up Yuuki! If you'd killed yourself what would happen to me and Yuuki? Did you think about that for one second? We'd be devastated, distraught! And after you're gone, who'll look after us then, huh? Just because you would have ended your suffering…!"

Yuriko bit down on her lip, her chest felt like it was going to burst open right there and then. That was the scariest thing that had happened to her by far since living with them. She really thought that Zero was going to die...the reality of it all set in and her eyes stung. This time she knew she couldn't hold it back, she knew she would cry...but not in front of Yuuki and Zero...no way in hell.

"Just because you would have ended your suffering, did you seriously think that me and Yuuki would be relived too? No. You would have increased our pain, and hey; knowing me I would have done something stupid." She said, her voice shaking, the lump in her throat getting harder and harder to swallow as she spoke.

"…stupid…selfish idiot…!" She hissed, turning on her heel to walk hastily away. Yuuki was about to run after her when Zero caught her arm, "Zero I-"  
"Leave her alone for now."

Yuriko collapsed to her knees nearly as soon as she closed the front door behind herself, unable to hold it back any longer. Yuriko cried like she'd never cried before. She hadn't cried like this in a long time and if someone saw her...there was no way she would be able to stop. Since that time two years ago she had never been able to hold back the more vicious tears like she used to. They would swell up and burst through and she'd be unable to stop them from falling when they did.

Scared, she was so scared that Zero would try that again. Though she was sure she got her message across it was just plain frightening. In those five seconds images of the more or less amusing times she had spent with Zero flashed right in front of her and then she thought to herself; 'never again will that happen...' If he'd have really killed himself...

"Yuriko-chan…?"

She looked up and saw none other than the chairman himself, "I was worried about Zero-kun and came here. Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows creased with worry.

The chairman has always been like a father to everyone. He helped Yuriko learn Japanese and became the only father-like figure she knew.

(In her foster family, the father died in a car accident when she was two and her real father she had never known, so in a way the chairman was her first father. Though sometimes he switched to a motherly role which scared the hell out of Yuriko but she found it utterly hilarious for a man his age to be acting like a house wife sometimes. She wondered if maybe he used to be a badass before. Like a biker or something.)

"I'm fine, I think Zero's lost it." She mumbled, drying her eyes feverishly. But the tears kept coming, "Tea…" She half mumbled half whimpered, walking back into the house.

Tea. The answer to everything for Yuriko. She wasn't addicted, she only drank it when she was upset or frustrated or just plain bored. This wasn't a new thing either, she had started drinking tea when she was around thirteen or so and just drank it when she felt the need to.

As usual, Yuriko burnt her tongue on the first sip, but continued drinking anyway.

The tea had cooled her off a good bit but she was still a little distressed. She felt bad for blowing up at Zero like that, but in all fairness it was his own fault and he deserved it. (Yuriko the type of person who felt bad for doing something that hurt someone else regardless of if they deserved it or not.)

"Have you calmed down a bit Yuriko-chan?" The chairman was still with her, he just felt the need to be beside her. If anyone knew Yuriko, it was the chairman. He'd seen way more of Yuriko than anyone else, right from the first day. He'd seen a shattered little girl and he never believed she could ever end up like the Yuriko who stood before him now. But he knew that deep down she was still broken and what Zero had _almost_ done could have broken her beyond her own repair let alone anyone else's, and what he had done strained her control and left her in tears. She seemed okay now, although if Zero did that again…

"Mhm. I think I'll go back to classes now…" She said, placing her empty cup on the counter, walking quickly out of the kitchen, flashing the chairman a quick smile as she left.

He smiled back and watched as the young girl left. Cross sighed as he realized that she'd not washed her mug _again. _Not that he minded much, but he knew it annoyed Zero to no end. Yuriko wasn't really all that lazy but she was careless sometimes and left things laying around, forgetting about them...and then things would pile up when no one came around to picking them up... But she was very good in the sense that she would do as she was told and followed the little 'chores agenda' he had set up. It seemed she didn't mind doing housework but unless she was asked she never really did anything. Cross was content to leave her be for now but eventually she would have to learn to take these jobs up on her own without being asked, because one day something would happen and it would be up to her to decide if she should do something or not, no one would be around to tell her what to do.

The old hunter shook his head, finishing washing the small mug. He put it back in the press and made his way back to his office in the school. Ah...he had so many things to do today...


	12. Luxury

**A/N:** Thanks to Lucina-Naegino and queenofspades19 for le suggestions, and Savage Kill I will use yours in a later chapter because its GENIUS -loves-

**Warnings(EL GASP): **This one contains smut...well not full on lemony smutty smutt but like a smige of pervertedness. OH FANSERVICE *more for herself than anyone else XD* And the whole super perverted theory on bloodlust is not in the canon VK its just my _own_ theory. :D ENJOY.

* * *

12. Luxury

A shrill shriek reached Zero's sharp ears, it sounded like a day class student.

"Fuck…" He hissed; when a day class student screamed it could only mean they were being attacked by a vampire. Zero scoffed and quickly made his way to where he'd heard the scream. Stupid day class girls always getting themselves into trouble!

As soon as he arrived on the scene he saw Yuuki and Yuriko. Yuuki was hiding behind Yuriko, while Yuriko herself was glaring at something on a near by tree, holding her arm out protectively in front of Yuuki.

"Yuuki calm down woman! It's a frikken cicada for crying out loud!" She snapped. In truth, Yuriko was scared of the dammed thing too. Even after two years of living in Japan she still couldn't believe a bug could be that huge, or make such a racket. Though sometimes it was nice to listen to...when you were trying to have an afternoon nap it wasn't so nice to have to put up with.

Zero sighed. Honestly, making such a fuss over a silly little insect. Zero, pulled out his gun and shot at the large insect causing it to fly away. He didn't intend to hit it, just to scare it away.

"…K-K-K-Kiryu-s-san?" Zero whipped around and saw a third person, a random day class student. Crap. She was staring at Zero wide eyed, why did he have a gun?

"Uh…uh…uhhh…Zero fired a blank because he didn't feel manly." Yuriko said, making up an incredibly poor excuse.

The girl stared at Yuriko, she didn't understand. Why did Kiryu have a gun? And he didn't just fire a blank! She was sure of it, that tree had a small hole in it now!

"Yuriko, you don't need to-"

"No! See, he has the gun because…its to make up for his overly small penis!"

Zero flushed, "WHAT?" He snapped, glaring furiously at the grinning midget.

The day class student seemed to buy it and giggled furiously. "Well now that, that's settled I'll go run away now. Yuuki you get her to the dorms, buh bye! And tell all your friends!" She grinned over her shoulder, running away from the already pissed off Zero whom was chasing her down.

Dead, she registered from the look in Zero's icy amethyst eyes that she was so dead if he caught her. Yuriko bolted to the stables with out stopping, she was smaller and more agile than Zero was. Even if she didn't look like she was faster than him she was. And so by the time she got to the stables she was sure that he was well behind her. Rain had started pelting down as soon as she entered the stables, unable to hold it back any longer, collapsing onto a near by hay stack, Yuriko was sent into a fit of giggles. The look on Zero's face was priceless. He'd gone complexly red, and his eyes were so wide in his head he looked like some sort of fish. She wiped a tear away from her eye as she lay in a more comfortable position, if she was going to be laying on a hay stack she may as well sleep. And this was just plain old rain, no thunder storms were to be predicted for a while.

One of the many things Yuriko was afraid of was thunder and lightning, which wasn't much of a problem when she was in Ireland, as they had very few thunder storms. But here, they were quite frequent in summer. And seeing as it was the rainy season aka, Mid July she could see herself hiding under her sheets for many nights to come. It wasn't really the thunder that bothered her...it was more the sudden flash of light from nowhere. She didn't know why but she hated things that came without warning like that...

Meanwhile, chasing Yuriko was the last thing on Zero's mind at the moment. Right now he was scanning for somewhere to sit this rain out. It was pelting down, and he was soaked through. His eyes landed on the stables; jackpot. The stables were warm and he could strip out of his soaking wet clothes without being caught. Well, maybe just the top half, just in case. Zero hated wearing wet clothes...he never knew why though.

He darted for the stables, opening the large door just enough to let him slip through and shut it tightly behind himself. As expected the stables were as warm and stuffy as ever, which Zero was slightly grateful for right now.

Not bothering himself to look around, Zero cast his jacket over by a hay stack as he started to unbutton his waist coat, shedding it as well. A loud snort from behind him, made the silver haired prefect grip his bloody rose. He sighed in relief when he saw White Lily, nodding her head impatiently. Thinking that perhaps her tamer had come to brush her or something nice like that.

"I'm not here to play, I'm just sitting the rain out." He stated, Zero didn't find it odd that he talked to the horse. She seemed to understand because she stopped nodding her head and began grazing on a hay stack near by instead.

Zero sighed to himself as he unbuttoned his soaked shirt. The rain was still pouring down outside and it looked like he would be here for a while.

Yuriko opened her eyes sluggishly, she had fallen asleep and from what she could tell, she hadn't been sleeping very long. Sitting up she looked around and almost yelped when her eyes landed on a stripping Zero. Almost facing her, but not quite. She opened her mouth to say something but the words wouldn't come out. She just stared. To tell the truth...Yuriko hadn't walked in on Zero in almost a year now, not properly. Just a sudden opening of the door, followed by someone yelling, followed by slamming it shut.

And now he was taking of his shirt, oblivious to the fact she was there. Just as Zero began pealing off his soaked shirt, Yuriko finally managed to voice something, "W-When the hell did _that _happen?" She croaked, last time she checked Zero wasn't _that _well toned! Just build! Now he had a freaking...well not a six pack but it wasn't 'just build' anymore either!

Zero jolted, "Wha…Yuriko! What the fuck, you pervert! Why the fuck were you watching me strip?" Zero barked, trudging over to Yuriko, who was bright red. Same reaction as always; whenever it got too hot when they were younger Zero would often take off his top and Yuriko would almost immediately flush bright red and leave the room. It was now he knew why, she wasn't used to living with boys at the time, but right now she couldn't use that excuse. She'd lived with him for two years. There was no need for her to be nervous but she was. Her heart rate was fast, and the pulse in her veins was so loud it made Zero's ears ring.

"I beg to differ! I came here to sit out the rain and sleep! And I-"  
"Just happened to wake up when I was taking my shirt off huh?"  
"And if you would kindly put the damned thing back on-"  
"No, its soaked, that's why I took it off!"  
"Stop yelling! Why are you yelling?" Yuriko snapped,

"Because I'm fucking pissed!"  
"Are you trying to scare me? What am I supposed to be afraid of more yelling? That's not scary. That you might hurt me, that's scary." She stated, in actual fact she was a bit scared. Zero's voice was extremely menacing sometimes. And when he raised it, it used to scare the living day lights out of Yuriko. But right now it didn't do much.

Zero scoffed, shuffling back over to where his shirt was thrown, feeling more than just a little self-conscious. He picked it back up and hung it on a nail in the wall.  
"Well why the hell are you here?" Zero hissed between gritted teeth. He was really annoyed at Yuriko not just for being perverted but also for spreading that ridiculous rumor that half the day class might just be stupid enough to believe, sure Yuuki might have the sense to get that girl's memory erased but still...it pissed him off that she'd says something like that.

"Like I said, I came in here to sit the rain out and fell asleep." Yuriko said, standing up and folding her arms, her eyes never once leaving the ground.

Zero sighed, "You could at least look at me while saying all of that."  
Yuriko jolted a bit, he was right. It was rude of her, but she couldn't trust herself to look at him topless and not go completely red.

Zero felt that stupid constricting of his throat, he could smell Yuriko's blood throbbing in her veins. He wanted it…oh god he wanted it. But he wouldn't do that. No way in hell. He knew himself that after Shizuka had bitten him he didn't want anyone to go near his neck; she too had been bitten and though it was by a level E, the feeling must have been the same.

"Not to ruin this wonderful atmosphere but you're eyes have changed a bloody shade of red sweetie." Yuriko chimed, pointing at Zero. She was quite hyper as of right now so she wouldn't take anything seriously.

Zero turned around so his back was facing Yuriko, so she wouldn't see him like this. "Get out…" He said, it was starting to become harder and harder to ignore his instincts...

He had no idea why he wanted her blood his just did, and…there was something else he wanted. He couldn't quite pin point what but it was bad if it was related to blood thirst.

Then it occurred to him what it was;  
Bloodlust. A…special type of blood thirst that involved the person you either loved or plain sexually attracted to. It was triggered if said person above's scent was stronger, or if they were releasing an odd amount of pheromones. Once in motion there was no stopping it. First, you drink the person's blood and then…that's when things got heavy. The vampire's body would respond, finding the experience arousing, which was pretty sick in Zero's eyes. Depending on the vampire's restraint it may or may not lead to having sex.

Yuriko wasn't someone Zero loved, that much was clear, but it did find her extremely sexy sometimes. Hey, he was the same as every other guy in the day class. Yuriko was strange in personality and everything she did was for her own fun. But physically she was well beyond the standard for a girl her age. She had a what Nene called a "sexy-cute face." She had long enough eyelashes and her eyes were pretty damn alluring, her hair was almost always shiny and breast wise, they weren't actually that big but because her body was so small...it made her breasts look a size bigger than they actually were. And as a result of her dancing since she was five she had nice legs and a really nice ass.

Zero and unconsciously taken to eyeing Yuriko, his eyes flickering up and down her body. All the while Yuriko felt like Zero was seducing her with his eyes, which was really freaking her out and causing her to react in ways she wished she wouldn't.

"Z-Zero I appreciate that you seem to acknowledge my existence, but please stop eye molesting me, its really, really weirding me out." She said, her voice shaking as she found herself closing her legs together as tight as they would go.

"I-I wasn't…" He hissed, feeling his face get red hot. What the hell was that? Right, he admitted he found Yuriko sexually attractive but she was just plain strange.

The small brunette swallowed, she knew what Zero needed right now. She knew this would happen, she just knew it would. But she promised Yuuki that if she wasn't around when Zero needed blood...then she'd give it to him instead and as scared as she was...

"Z-Zero…Uhm…just bite me, I'm fine with it." She said.  
Zero sucked in a breath between his teeth, the bloodlust getting higher and higher the more Yuriko was in the same area as him. He wouldn't do it…  
Yuriko pouted, "Fine. If you don't bite me right now I'll…" She grinned evilly, noticing that it wasn't just blood Zero was looking for. "I'll start stripping."  
Zero whipped around, "What the hell? Are you frikken insane?" He narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't..."  
Yuriko said nothing but started unzipping her jacket, letting it fall to the floor. She started unbuttoning her shirt, until she was able to reach up her back and unclasp her bra, luckily it was the one that liked to do as she forced it to.

"Oh…shit- Stop! Stop! I'll do as you say!" Zero snapped, catching Yuriko's small arm. She grinned, "Good boy."

Zero's face had gone completely red, he didn't think that she would suddenly go for her bra, which he now noticed, he could see through her shirt...actually she'd unbuttoned her shirt enough to give him a clear view of her lovely cleavage.

"Zero, eyes up here." She said, snapping her fingers, pointing to her face.  
The silver haired vampire let go of Yuriko's arm, the blood in her veins was rushing and he could no longer hold back. He moved in close, forcing Yuriko to back up against the wall. Zero pressed his lips against her neck, as he ran his tongue along her neck, holding both of her shoulders firmly.

Yuriko was a bit scared but more nervous than anything. She had a shirtless ex-human vampire hunter, who'd probably been trained since he was seven or eight mouthing her neck. And on top of that he appeared to be turned on. Well…Yuriko brought that one on herself by half-assed stripping.

Finally he sank his fangs into the pale soft flesh beneath his lips, teeth and tongue. Yuriko trembled, letting out a low whimper and Zero lost it. He couldn't control it, no matter how hard he tried to control both the thirst and the on coming arousal he could only control one. Seeing as the thirst was more dangerous right now…

Yuriko could feel her uprising panic which came to an abrupt stop when she felt something pressing against that incredibly erogenous zone which when stimulated can lead to high levels of sexual arousal and powerful orgasms.

'_Bad, bad, bad, bad!' _

So, like a total moron, she moved her left leg slightly, seeing weather it was his most likely straining erection that was the problem or hopefully his leg so she could slap him.

It was indeed his leg, his thigh to be exact. "Z-Zero- Nnnh…Stop…!" She snapped breathlessly, her face completely red. Did she just moan right next to his ear? Due to Zero's stupidity, because he decided to control his thirst and not his lust, he couldn't stop. Even after he was finished biting her. He pressed his thigh harder in between the girls legs.

Yuriko gasped, "Ah! Hmmm!" She moaned, suddenly enjoying it but she quickly came to her senses and shoved Zero off her, or at least tried to. "Holy shit, Zero! Stop it!"

He snapped out of it, letting go of Yuriko as he nearly stumbled backwards.  
She scrambled out of the stables and into the rain, forgetting all about her jacket. She dashed for the school building.

Zero face palmed severely at himself, he didn't expect to do that at all. He just molested his friend and ex-dorm mate. And he'd _enjoyed _it too... "Fuck...I'm so damn sick..."

Later, the trio of prefects had to escort a special guest to the chairman's office. Ichijo's grandfather, Ichio.

Yuriko was absolutely dreading it, Ichijo had told her all about his oh so pleasant grandfather...

Yuuki had run on ahead like an idiot despite Yuriko's warning. She warned her for two reasons; one was for genuine concern and the other was so she didn't have to stay back with Zero. She'd managed to avoid him for four hours.

Rather than making things worse and yelling at Zero for practically raping her, she ignored it. After all…vampires senses were highly attuned…and he might have sensed her pleasure at that time. She was weirded out by it, and she was so nervous but it felt…good all the same. She blamed that stupid erogenous place that only women had to deal with. It was the soul reason she didn't wear tight jeans. Also she was more than sure she was ovulating at the moment seeing as she had cramps this morning; she wasn't due her period for another two weeks, which was why she panicked when Zero had tried raping her. No way in hell did she want to explain to people why she was carrying Zero Kiryuu's child...oh just the _idea _of it made her feel strange...unfortunately it wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling...which just made her even more uncomfortable around him.

Ichio glared at Zero for...what ever reason and he stalked off. The old pruny was nothing like her dear friend at all. Sure he had that light blonde hair but his eyes were an icy cold blue...not at all like Takuma's warm jade eyes, but it made Yuriko wonder if maybe Takuma was a little more complex than she first thought.

"Ah, Yuriko-chan!" He smiled at her, "Would you come with me for a moment? I recently read this book and I think you might like it too!"

Yuriko glanced over at Yuuki for a moment, "Oh, its fine! Just go straight back to your dorm once your finished okay?"

"Yes mommy...~" She sang playfully in reply. Before Yuuki bounded off somewhere Takuma asked her something a bit weird...he asked her if something happened between herself and Kaname, then he went on to mention that they used to be very close. As far as memory served Yuriko, Yuuki had always been a bit reserved around Kaname; trying (and failing) desperately to hide her feelings for him. If she loved him so much then why did she act as though he was out of her league when he clearly loved her just as much.

Yuuki got awfully silent after that and pretty much ran off without a word.

"Oh...I think you _might _have hit a nerve there Takuma."

"Probably...but really...Kaname has been acting strange, I wonder why..." That was when he got that look, the one he'd get when he felt helpless. Yuriko knew that Takuma considered Kaname to be a very close friend and he would do anything for him...but really, did Kaname have to go and be such an ass to someone so damn nice.

"Uhm...w-what was that you were saying about a book?" She asked, tucking a strand of her short hair behind her ear.

"Oh! Yes, its called 'The Ring' by Koji Suzuki-"  
"No. No. I'll pass thank you."

"Eh? But he's such a-"  
"Don't care. Sadako made me frightened of t.v's for a year. Never. Again." Yuriko dismissed with a flick of the wrist.  
"But Yuriko!" The blonde noble pouted, "Alright...but if you ever feel like borrowing it I'm sure they have a copy in the school library." He sighed.

"Ichijo."

And once again Kaname had so kindly interrupted their bonding time. It happened nine out of ten times Yuriko and Takuma would _finally _be able to spend some time together. They were like super friends...but they hardly saw each other at all. It was a luxury to Yuriko to be able to spend even a few seconds with him.

But in the end Takuma had to go and discuss somethings with Kaname and Yuriko went to her room in the chairman's house. Just so she wouldn't have to walk all the way to the dorms.

She closed her eyes as soon as she flopped onto her bed. Again, her room was in a total mess but her bed was made for once. Although she never remembered making it in the first place.

Even before she came to the chairman, her room was always a mess. Sure she did her chores and stuff but she was hardly ever bothered to clean her room. Her mother was always telling her to clean her room…with that final thought Yuriko drifted off to sleep, letting the memories of her past engulf her into a more than just restless sleep.


	13. Shenanigans

**A/N: **OKAY OKAY. I promise this is the end of the crack! :D R-Really I mean it you guys! Hirai is awesome..._-loves- _Hirai's creator is not moi but the amazment PrioriIncatem() so go check her FF out ;D

* * *

13. Shenanigans

"Get the fuck back to your dorm!" Zero snarled, extending his right hand back towards the moon dorm.

"Only if you come and get me, stud." The small vampire teased, batting her eyelashes and winking seductively at him, twirling a finger around her long brown curls, her other hand pulling up her skirt. This was the third time Hirai had done this, she didn't particularly like Zero, nor did she think he was that attractive, but hell, she did this to everyone.

"Shut up and get back to your dorm! You motherfucking leech!" Zero barked, this was getting old and the fact that a certain someone had been arguing with him no more than a few minutes ago, didn't help his already lost thin thread of patience.

"Look who's all bark and no bite." She winked, taking a few steps towards him her hips swaying as she did so, flicking a strand of his hair with a small challenging smile on her lips.

That was it, Zero growled and whipped out his bloody rose, pointing it at the small vampire's head. She chuckled with the same challenging smile on her lip that, annoyingly, never seemed to leave.  
"Go on. Precious daddy wouldn't be to proud of you, now would he?" She sneered.

"He's not my fucking father!" Zero roared.

A noise that could only be described as a mortified sob could be heard from the chairman's office window, "Why don't you love me!" He whined, choking up the words as he curled into ball on the floor.

Hirai was sent into a furious fit of giggles before she stopped, a stern look taking back onto her face as she realized the situation she was in. "Where were we?"

Zero grunted as his looked became more venomous, if that was possible.

He suddenly felt the sensation of two sharp fingers prodding him in his sides, "Boo!" A high pitched voice squeaked from behind him, making him loose his balance, his body becoming ridged and shoving the gun into Hirai's forehead rather abrasively.

Zero spun around, "Yuriko! Jesus!" he snapped, seeing the small pixy haired brunette grinning up like nothing was a-miss.

"Zero! Jesus!" Hirai mimicked, holding her forehead looking absolutely livid.

"Jesus! Oh my god! Our saviour has arrived!" Yuriko exclaimed as she began to sing in gospel. (pretty badly too)

A few minutes before, Nene had come up with yet another evil plan and she, Yuriko and Kumiko melted a whole one kilo bag of sugar and had gotten Yuriko to drink the whole thing. It was safe to say that this little prefect was well beyond hyper.

"Well darling, I haven't seen Jesus but I know someone else we can fucking crucify!" Hirai snarled, taking a step towards Zero.

In desperation to stop the feud from ensuing Yuriko stepped in between the two raging vampires and sighed, with an incriminating grin, "Now Zero-Nii, we all know how small your penis is but you don't have to bring out that big gun-"  
Before she could finish her sentence Zero slapped Yuriko across the head with his gun, causing her to let out a yelp. "Don't call me that!" He snapped, absolutely furious at what Yuriko had said, both about his more personal body parts and for even mentioning that he was her brother, which he was not! Where the hell that came from he hadn't a clue but then again. It was Yuriko; Excessively unsystematic.

"AH! MY BRAIN JUST MOVED! DID YOU FEEL THAT? I THINK ITS COMING OUT OF MY EAR!" She yelled, smacking the side of her face trying to get her brain to fall out her ear on the other side.

Hirai looked at her for a few moments with a blank expression, before beaming wildly and clasping her hands together before fawning "SHE'S PRECIOUS!" at the top of her lungs and merrily skipping over to her, helping her punch out her brain. Zero had taken to face-palming severely, rubbing the sides of his temples muttering, "Someone please, kill me, please…" under his breath.

"I'd be happy to oblige but I'm busying helping your girlfriend-"  
Both prefects exploded in a state of shock, both blushing and trying to hide it.

"IT'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND, Did you just call me it?" Zero snarled at Yuriko who was bright red, she blushed far to easily for her own good, where as Zero's white complexion seemed to pale compared to hers.

"Yes! Because you are an object! A Torch! Your existence shall be consumed by the crimson denizens!" She said, waving her arms in the air wildly referring to the Manga _Shakugan no Shana_.

"I love creating havoc in paradise!" Hirai laughed, watching the two squabble over what seemed to be nothing.

"That's it! I'm not cooking anymore!" Zero shouted, storming off.

Yuriko's face dropped, "No! I repent! I repent!" she piped up sorrowfully, life without Zero's cooking would be hell for her.

"Seems like my job here is done…" Hirai sighed, pleased with her work, trotting back to the moon dorms.

By the start of her patrolling duties she was seriously regretting all that in take of sugar. All of that over-excitement and energy was well gone, all that was left was exhaustion. She managed to drag herself to the library, she glanced over it once, checking for any day classers before collapsing on the windowsill near by.  
"…awh shit…I'm never ever having that much sugar again…the exhaustion so ain't worth it…" She mumbled to herself, as her eyelids grew heavier…the weeks of lost sleep catching up with her as her mind was filled with images of her own past.

_There was a timid knock on the door, it was really obvious who it was.  
"What?" Yuriko snapped, as she opened the door quickly, to glare down at her younger twin sister. One of the reasons she was ticked off._

"_Yuriko…I think maybe you should come downstairs, okay?" Yumiko mumbled, not once looking at her older sister, she couldn't bare to. _

"_Gimme one good reason? So mum will yell at me? You sadist bitch…" Yuriko hissed as she slammed the door shut._

"_No! You don't under stand I…I'm…" Yumiko paused. And in that moment, Yuriko made the mistake of putting her earphones in her ears, putting the music on full blast. The words that could have saved her…she never heard them…_

Takuma sighed to himself as he placed the book back on its shelf where it belonged. He found it rather irritating that students put the books back in the wrong order, it seemed like they didn't understand that it made things extremely difficult for someone else to find the book they were looking for as he had been moments ago.  
As he glanced over to the side, he spotted a black uniform. "Ah…here we go." He said, walking over, only to find Yuriko snoozing on the windowsill. Takuma grinned, she was quite adorable while she slept, or at least she was until he got a better look at her; Yuriko was in no land filled with fluffy pink clouds and lollipop trees, she looked distressed and upset. But Takuma knew better than to wake her up from a nightmare, the last time he had done that she was in a panic and he couldn't calm her down and had to do 'the usual routine when she had an attack' again.

Unbuttoning his jacket, Takuma thought that the very least he could do was prevent her from catching a cold. As he placed his jacket over Yuriko she began mumbling something he couldn't make out even with his enhanced hearing. He shook his head, dismissing it. It probably wasn't important anyway.

Takuma scribbled down a quick note, explaining to Yuriko that it was indeed his jacket, and that by the time she woke up he would probably be in the moon dorms...so he also scribbled down for her to return it to him when she awoke.

Smiling to himself, the young vampire noble left the library.

Yuriko awoke with a start, her eyes watering of their own accord. Regret flooded her senses and she began to cry. "Why…didn't I listen to you…! What in the world had you said to me that day...Yumiko...!" She muttered. She had no idea what her sister had told her on that day, and she never would. If she hadn't been such a total selfish cow, maybe…just maybe she wouldn't be here. "…Yumiko…"

It was then that Yuriko noticed the white jacket sitting on her knees. Obviously someone was kind enough to lend her their jacket, and she had a pretty good idea of who it was. She glanced around, her eyes landing on a small note.

'_I thought you might catch a cold, so I lent you my jacket._

_- Takuma Ichijo_

_P.S. By the time you wake up, I will probably be in the moon dorms. Please return it to me before the night ends, I really don't want to be scolded by Kaname-sama.'_

Yuriko grinned to herself, the image of Ichijo being scolded by Kaname made her want to laugh, but it would be mean not to return his jacket to him, so Yuriko stood up and swung the jacket over her shoulder.  
"To the moon dorms…" She groaned.

She really did hate that place, sure she had one, two, maybe three friends there but the rest of the vampries appeared to hate her. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling, having a vampire glare at you...

Yuriko grinned again, at the hypocritical thought. She really didn't give a damn when Zero glared at her– alright it did bother her a little but it didn't scare her...and for a second she wondered why but then she stopped; she didn't want to think of it. She quickly banished the thought from her head and made her way out of the library.

Just then she saw a female night class student, sitting cross legged by the window, the wind sweeping her dirty blond hair in all directions. She was pretty, like all night class students and for a second Yuriko was sure she had seen her before. Her attention was soon drawn to the dagger the girl was currently sharpening.

"W-Woah! You can't have that!" Yuriko snapped, pointing accusingly at the vampire, her eyes wide and concerned.

"The oaf has one, why can't I? God knows I'm of higher calibre and importance than he is," The vampire began, her lips curving up to smile. "And if he has a weapon, I want one too." She concluded, with a nod of her head, her hair bouncing in agreement as she nodded. Yuriko just stared at the vampire her eyes wide, "I-Its forbidden for anyone besides a prefect to have a weapon!" Yuriko paused for a moment, "Well...on their person on school grounds..." She mused, placing her finger on her chin thoughtfully.  
"Anyway...No more daggers missy!" She snapped, turning on her heel as she headed straight for the moon dorms. She just wanted to give the jacket back to Ichijo and be done with it. But as she turned, she tripped over her own two feet, only to catch herself with her other foot quite gracelessly. "I'm OKAY!" She said, arching back to point at the vampire. Once again, making her way down the corridor.

Yuriko stood outside the moon dorms, right outside them as in; in front of the door to the building. She took a deep breath, puffing her chest out a little, straightening her posture and pushed the door open, and closed it behind herself carefully. She glanced about the foyer.

Compared to the sun dorms, this place was like a mansion taken straight from MTV's cribs. She felt like a little kid in a fancy hotel, too scared to touch anything in case it broke. She didn't even touch the banister as she walked up the stairs. It soon hit her that she didn't have the slightest idea where Ichijo's dorm was...

"Ah, if it isn't the chibi prefect." A voice trilled behind her lazily. She knew who it was before she even jumped around in surprise. "Kain-senpai-"

"You don't know where Hirai is do you?" He questioned, he looked a slight bit…well…Yuriko couldn't pin point what it was but he looked odd anyway.

"I haven't a clue who Hirai is, where's Ichijo's dorm?" She asked in return, Kain sighed in response. "Down the end of the corridor to your left." He stated, pointing the small girl in the right direction.

Yuriko nodded once, and headed that a way, trying to figure out who this Hirai was. She knew that she was one of the biggest trouble makers in the night class, even more so than Aido was. And before Yuriko could stop herself she walked straight into a door, "Ow…my nose-"  
"Come in" A voice invited. She knew who's it was, but was unsure of weather she should go in and try her best at compulsive lying or just run away.

"E-Ehm…N-Never mind Kuran-senpai! Wrong room!" She called back, making small arm motions that he couldn't see but she made them all the same. Once again, she turned on her heel to the left. She was sure this was Ichijo's room. And if this wasn't it she was bolting from this place, weather Ichijo had his jacket or not.

Suddenly the door she had walked into opened, "What are you doing here."

Yuriko flinched, that wasn't exactly a question...it sounded more like an order. "Takuma lent me his jacket while I was sleeping so I was returning it to him." She replied, smiling nervously at the tall brunette. He raised both eyebrows at the girl before sighing, "Be quick." And with that he turned back into his room, closing the door behind him.

Yuriko rolled her eyes and knocked on the door in front of her. This time she was greeted with a much more friendly, up beat, "Come in!" that just screamed Ichijo to her.

She happily opened the door, there, right in the middle of the floor was Ichijo. Or more, Ichijo in a small fort made entirely out of manga and books, some of which belonged to herself.

Yuriko's face dropped, "I-It's BEAUTIFUL!" She squealed, her eyes alight with happiness. She was so warped in the awesomeness that was Ichijo's manga fort that she didn't notice what a mess his room really was, but then again she wouldn't have cared really.  
"Oh, hello Yuriko-chan! Would you like to join-"  
"YES!" Yuriko piped, scurrying over to join the blonde in his manga fort, throwing his jacket over a chair on the way. She sat there, grinning widely and just looking generally tremendously happy.

"So…can I tear it down now?" She asked, smiling.  
"Wha-No! It took me a while to build this!" Ichijo said, his eyes wide. But he knew that in the end, Yuriko would indeed tear his masterpiece down...

"But that's like, the entire fun!" She exclaimed, her eyes still glittering.

"For you…!"

"Your constructive and I'm destructive." Yuriko stated, waving her hand around.

"I-Is that even a word?"  
Yuriko's eyes went wide with disbelief, "D-Destructive? Takuma Ichijo!" She scolded, and here he said he read dictionaries all the time!

"A-Ah! Wait-"

"Get out of this fort Now!" She giggled, extending her hand back wards.

The pair spent a good while in Ichijo's room, mainly talking or just joking around, until of course a certain someone came to get Yuriko.

"God Zero-nii! Why are you such a kill joy!" Yuriko snapped, her arms folded, her thin lips curved into a frown.

"What the hell were you doing in there?"  
"I was playing with Ichijo! It was fun…until you destroyed it ALL!"

Great, Zero thought, Yuriko was hyper and it was all that vampires fault. Zero really didn't understand Yuriko at all. She was frightened of most vampires, and yet there were one or two she was fine with. He really did not get what was going on in that head of hers.


	14. A Storm in Waiting

13. A Storm in Waiting

Zero clenched his fist on the cold bathroom counter. "Kaname Kuran…has nothing to do with it…" He muttered sourly, that bastard...what did he mean by that? Was he messing with his head again...or... Zero was pulled from his musings by a voice, a voice that irked him to no end. It was Yuriko...and she was...humming?

"Hmm, hmm, hmm...~ Zero, were you about to take a bath? Don't you remember at dinner? I called dibs! That's cheating!" Yuriko snapped, bringing her little tune to a stop as she pointed an accusing finger at him. She wasn't in her uniform, nor was her hair down as it normally was. It was tied back (well as much of it as possible)and she was in what appeared to be pajamas.

But Zero really wasn't in the mood for any of Yuriko's babbling, he just wanted a nice hot bath or a shower at the least. It helped calm him down most days and when that didn't; he knew very well what would...

"Knock first dumb ass." He mumbled.

"Hey!_You're _the one who never knocks! Don't get all hypocritical on my ass!" She stated, "Like I said. I called dibs! Now out boy!"

"First come first served." Zero said, a smirk just about tugging at his lips; that was what Yuriko would always say when the situations were reversed. If he'd called dibs on the shower, she would always say 'First come first served' and now he could turn it around. He hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to say that until now, he felt strangely accomplished.

Yuriko pouted in defeat, "Fine. Then." She snapped, turning on her heel.

"…Kaname Kuran…I wonder what he has in mind for Yuuki…"Yuriko looked back at Zero, puzzled. What did he mean by that? No...she had been wondering the same thing.

Just as she was about to reply Zero sighed heavily, "Will you get out already…" Zero groaned, as he swiftly unbuttoned his shirt.

"Whoa, hey, ho! Wait I'm not done talking to you!" She snapped, stepping in front of Zero; who was now holding his shirt shut with one hand as he looked down blankly at the small girl.

"Look...you realize that I'm in the same boat as Yuuki, right? If you need blood then I'll give it to you, no questions asked – Are you even fucking listening?" She snapped, feeling a little insulted as Zero wasn't exactly looking at her anymore. "You-" Suddenly Zero grabbed both of her wrists and pushed her back into the wall, holding both her wrists by her shoulders.

"I've been avoiding this for a while...but you know it don't you?" He said quietly; there was something dangerous in his tone, it told Yuriko not to say anything stupid or she might regret it.

"Pardon?"

His grip on her wrists tightened, "You _used _Yuuki."

Shit. Zero didn't look all too happy right now and Yuriko had one of two choices; tell him the truth, or lie. Either way she was digging herself a hole.

"W-What are you talking-"

"You got Yuuki to give me her blood first so Kuran wouldn't say anything to you about it when you could have just as easily done it yourself." He growled.

"Ah..." Was all she could say now. He knew what she'd done... "I know...there's no excuse for what I did to Yuuki...at the time I thought it was the best thing I could-"

"No you were just being a coward, you were afraid of what Kuran would have done to you."

Her eyes widened, "Wait...that's..."

"You're so selfish you know that..." He hissed, letting her wrists go.

"No- Its not-"

Then it hit her. Why she hadn't thought of what she could have done...and she could feel herself breaking. She bolted from the bathroom and down the hallway into her bedroom, locking the door behind herself.

She knew this would backfire...this little 'mask' game of her's had finally back fired.

There were certain emotions or feelings that Yuriko had learned to ignore for the sake of her own sanity; things like fear, sadness and so on. But never did she think that by hiding her fear of Kaname...that something like using Yuuki as a way of avoiding him...why did that happen? She wasn't that scared of him was she? She hated him. He was the reason she was stuck here and the reason she had to hide – but...thinking back... He had the power to erase her.

Back in Ireland, all of her old friends, teachers and relatives thought she was dead along with the rest of her family. They had no idea that she was in fact alive and well. There was something about him that made her want to run for her life but at the same time there was no denying how dangerously alluring he could be. It frightened her to think that he had the power to control other vampires...that he had the power to change a human into what he was. She was frightened of Kaname. And she'd been hiding that fact from herself. Proof that she was a total skizo. She was blinding herself to what she really felt.  
"Ahaha...I'm...really messed up aren't I...?"

...

The next day was a complete nightmare for Yuriko.

Yuuki and Zero were nowhere in sight during classes and when she asked the chairman he said he didn't know where they went. That was when the threads began tearing themselves apart.

"Yuriko-"

She jumped suddenly, "Oh...Kumiko...s'just you..."

"Yeah...you look kind of...well like you just watched a horror movie are you okay?"

Of course she looked like that...

"I'm fine! I have to go patrol now!" She grinned, walking quickly out of the classroom.

Why did it feel like everyone was out to get her? Quietly she walked down the corridor, she felt like she was _in _a horror movie. With each step she took she felt like something bad was going to happen, like she would turn the corner and she'd find Yuuki and Zero dead or worse...

Why did she get like this when Zero and Yuuki weren't around? Damn it she hated it when those two went missing! Patrolling was different, she knew they were around but...now she didn't know where they were or what they were doing. Whether or not they were safe. What...what if they weren't safe. What if they were out in the town, unprotected and something was trying to attack them.

"_What if Zero had fallen to a level E and Yuuki couldn't protect herself...what if she couldn't put Zero out of his misery..."_

Yuriko couldn't help it anymore and broke into a run, shoving past the students that were in her way. Something was wrong, she knew it. Maybe she was being paranoid but who could blame her after what had happened? The last time she didn't know where her loved ones were...they ended up dead, torn to bits and she couldn't help them.

Why didn't she realize that possibility sooner?

She shoved the door open and shoved past a pair of students in front of her, unaware of who they were.

"Oi! Yuriko, watch it!"

She paused and spun around, "Zero! Yuuki! Where the fuck were you two?" She snapped, her eyes wide in her head. Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest.

"Calm down Yuriko...! You look out of breath."

"Of course I am! Where were you? There I was, having a freaking panic attack because I didn't know where you two were!" She said, repeating herself as it seemed.

"We don't have time for this now, the night class is coming out." Zero said quickly, moving on ahead of the two girls. Yuriko glared after him; it looked like she'd be asking _him _the questions.  
...

Today, the fan girls were as rabid as ever, scrambling towards the night class…well most of them. As usual, Yuuki had the more muddled problem of getting them to actually listen to her, while all Zero had to do was stand there, appear menacing and the girls would just shut up and pray he didn't turn on them.

Yuriko, on the other hand, was sitting in a tree just watching for her own amusement. A sort of punishment for not telling her where they went. Now, with her sense of balance it wasn't a good idea for her to be in a tree at all but then again she was a total eejit and really didn't care. She just wanted to see what it was like to watch all this chaos rather than trying to control it.

Her eyes caught sight of a girl whom had tried, and failed, to pass Zero out resulting in Zero being pissed at the whole group of girls. Yuriko giggled to herself, as she looked around to see Yuuki right up at the main door to the school trying to keep the fan girls back. And then someone grabbed the her and pulled her into the school leaving Yuriko to look over to see what Zero was doing again.

The fan girls around him had well left for their dorms and he was currently glaring at Yuriko, "What can I do for you oh young silver haired one?" She grinned, causing Zero to glare even harder at her.

"Get down here now- Oh for the love of…!" He hissed, spotting that Yuuki had been caught in a smudge of trouble again. Yuriko would get down herself eventually, he thought, turning away to go help Yuuki.

"H-Hey wait!" Yuriko called, not wanting to be left alone. It was then that she realized that she was totally and utterly stuck. And now Zero had dragged Yuuki off somewhere. "I...can't get down things..." Getting up tree's, climbing walls, it was all nothing to Yuriko. Now getting down was a different matter all together. Zero was still pissed with her for what she'd done apparently...

"Hello? Anyone? Please…help-" As if by some twisted karma Yuriko fell from the tree and face-planted the ground.

"…ow…Damn you karma…damn you to hell…" She hissed as she sat up and rubbed her nose.

Suddenly a blonde haired girl trotted past, humming 'don't worry, be happy' under her breath. The first thing Yuriko noticed was her hat. It looked like it was knitted and it consisted of very...autumn-like colours. "Hey…Your Yuriko!" She hummed, bopping over to the smallest prefect of the trio, who was still on the ground. The girl laughed, "I've been there…" She mused aloud.

"Uh huh…" Yuriko muttered, sitting up once again. She stared at the girl's hat, admiring how wonderfully odd and beautiful it was. "My mum made it. There's love in every stitch~!" She said, over exaggerating the words, as she clasped her hands together in adoration, making Yuriko even more fond of this amazing stranger.

"Oh my god. I have to know your name now!" Yuriko exclaimed, jumping up and down on her bum a little.  
"I'm the amazing exchange student Karla! I'll be here all year, following what's-his-face- emo pants around. Just following him. Just to annoy him-"  
"Hey! That's my job!" Yuriko snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Karla.

"Well…I could be your apprentice, I mean. You must be a master at annoying him because every says its your fault he's so miserable all the time!"

Yuriko suddenly felt extremely flattered, she was why Zero was so upset. She grinned in pride to herself, "Kyuu! I feel so accomplished!" Yuriko cleared her throat and looked seriously at the blonde before her. "Now young exchange student. You must learn well from your experiences." She said in a raspy old man voice, Karla bowed once. "Yes mistress prefect lady of torture and sadism."

Yuriko grinned and stood up, pointing in the direction in which Zero had left. "To infinity!"  
"And to Zero!" Karla exclaimed, copying the prefect. And with that the two off them ran off in a very superman-like manner.

.

Yuriko sat on the grand steps of the academy, waiting the arrival of this new student, her sword at her side as it always was. It was her job to welcome new students and then it was Yuuki's to show them around the school. At first Yuriko thought it would be fun, but right now...sitting out side in the cold was not so fun. The student was late, a half an hour late. Her name was Maria Kurenai and she was late transferring in due to illness or something. Yuriko had no idea that vampires could be ill in anyway. She always thought that they had super immune systems.

Come to think of it…Yuriko would soon be eighteen. It was August by now, what date it was Yuriko hadn't a clue. She was terrible with dates and such. She would just have to check Iwasawa's calendar when she got in. Which brought her to another thought; Azami Iwasawa didn't like her at all from what she'd heard. Apparently Yuriko was 'awfully loud' and 'always tosses in her sleep'. She couldn't help it if she was plagued by nightmares every night! She knew this would happen...

"Uhm…"  
She was snapped out of her thoughts, a girl was standing before her, presumably the new student. Yuriko stood up abruptly, "Oh! Hi! You must be the new student right?" She chirped, grinning in a friendly manner at the girl before her.

"Yes. I am Maria Kurenai, its nice to meet you…?" Maria said timidly, implying to ask this odd girl her name.

"Oh I'm Yuriko Marigan, but Yuriko will do fine. And don't worry about mister sword here, he's just there in case-NYA!" Yuriko jumped backwards, her eyes landed on a tall figure with a pale mask on as she let out a yelp and grabbed her sword, ready to unsheathe it. "Wh-What- Who are you?" She snapped, glaring accusingly at the…man? Boy? Boy, yeah he looked around…seventeen, eighteen…but with that mask on she really couldn't tell. He had silver hair, a lot like…yeah he looked a lot like Zero. So much so it kind of scared her. He had the silver hair, though it was a tad bit longer and he was definitely the same height. She had her sword clutched at her side, a very comical expression of fear on her face.

"He's my bodyguard, there's no need to be alarmed." Maria stated, smiling at the Yuriko once again.

"Oh…oh…he scared the bejeezus of me…" She sighed, breathing deeply. She really ought to stop reading horror books and stuff.

"Well, now that you're bodyguard's done terrifying me, shall we?" She grinned, motioning to the school. Though she kept a mental note to keep an eye on that bodyguard of hers. There was just something about him that…she couldn't explain it. It was a bit of a paradox in her mind. But he just plain didn't sit right with her.

"Oh, I'm a prefect by the way. I make sure the day class students don't find out that the night class is full of vampires and such." Yuriko said, waving her hand around animatedly.

Maria simply nodded once and smiled at her, "Is your job hard?"  
"Oh…well sometimes, there's two more of us you see. Actually your bodyguard there looks a lot like one of them." Yuriko said, looking back at the silver haired male whom was carrying Maria's bags. There was a smile tugging at his lips. "Hey, Maria. Is he like those English soldiers who stand outside the queen's palace and, like, no matter what you do you just can't get them to smile at all?"

"No actually, unlike them I have emotion."  
Yuriko jumped back once again in surprise, "Dude! You even sound like him! That's bizarre!" She grinned to herself. "Are you his long lost brother or something?"

The boy said nothing but grinned to himself in amusement at how utterly right Yuriko was.

Yuriko smiled back, " 'course, impossible. He would have told me if he had a brother and such. What's your name?"

He grinned again, leaning very close to the smaller girl, "I believe that's for me to know, and you to find out…"

Yuriko first blinked, then blushed in response, followed by shivering. He was really quite strange, but not in a good way. He perked Yuriko's curiosity, and now she wanted to know who he was and if he knew Zero. Because there was no way in hell he couldn't be related to him…

Yuriko soon caught sight of Zero daydreaming as he was leaning against a tree. He was loafing off again, she thought to herself. Though now that she looked a bit harder he was deep in thought. Sometimes she wondered what he was thinking of, did he think of the past? After all they were in the same boat…sort of. They both lost their families to a vampire, she lost hers to a level E and he lost his to a pureblood, along with his humanity. Then again, Yuriko was thousands of miles away from the place she once called home so they were even.

She strode over to him, "Yo! Loafing off much?" She greeted, saluting him as she walked over.

"What are you going to do about it?" He responded sighing to himself.

"Oh nothing really, I'm going to loaf off with you for a bit."

Zero groaned inwardly, there was almost a certain chance she would torment him. He looked over at her, she was smiling. But she had that look in her eyes, a look that was always there and never quite left.

"Hey Zero...where did you and Yuuki-"  
"Oh for the love of...would you just let that go!" He groaned.  
"No! I was worried sick and on the brink of having a panic attack!" She snapped, turning her head sharply to look at him. He looked away from her and rolled his eyes, typical Zero move that was. If he wasn't really bothered explaining himself he'd look away and roll his eyes.  
"Stop acting like this...you're not my mother." He grumbled quietly, his eyes becoming distant with those words. Actually...Yuriko resembled his mother a bit...in personality, not looks obviously.  
"I know I'm not...and now you look depressed...oops..." What did she say now? It was so easy to set Zero off like this sometimes, and in her opinion his melancholy was worse than his temper; it was contagious to her.  
"No...you do remind me of my mom a little..."

Yuriko blinked and suddenly had a sinking feeling as she looked at her feet, wondering to herself... "Do you...ever get that weird feeling...when everything's going completely wrong and no one's around to help you...do ever just think- ah- No! Never mind!" She shook her head, why was she asking _him _of all people! Maybe Yuuki did it but...then again Zero was only human at heart, he must have thought it at least once...  
"What? Do I ever think what?" He asked, suddenly curious. It wasn't often Yuriko would ask him if he felt a certain way...normally she'd felt it too and was just wondering if she could confide in him.

"...uh...I-I was going to ask; do you ever think 'I want my mum' but obviously-!"  
"Of course I do, everyone does." He sighed, "Everyone thinks that once in a while...some people just think about it more than others. I'm guessing you do that a lot...huh?"

Yuriko didn't answer him but continued to look at her feet.

Zero shook his head and ruffled the small girl's hair, "Don't make a face like that, it doesn't suit you."

Yuriko blinked at him, "Bah humbug..." She trailed off as she heard a soft step on the ground.

It was none other than Maria, timidly approaching the two prefects. Yuriko smiled at her, just out of friendliness. "Maria. W...whats the matter?" The young vampire looked a little off, and it wasn't just that she looked upset there was something else...

"I think I took my joke too far…no one likes me now…" She said, tugging on a strand of her hair, looking quite unsettled.

From the corner of her eye, Yuriko could see Zero reaching into his jacket. "Ze-" Before she could even say his name, without a word Zero whipped out his bloody rose run, a brutal look on his face and Yuriko reacted quick as lightning, stepping in front of the poor girl before Zero could shoot her.

"Stop! She hasn't done anything you fecking moron!" Yuriko snapped, causing Zero to look a bit startled, "No, its not…who the hell are you…?" He hissed, lowering his gun. For a split second he really thought it was that woman, he could have sworn he sensed her. Obviously he got it wrong, this girl was no Shizuka Hiou, some of her features were the same but still. She looked different…but her presence…her aura…

"…How do you do…I'm Maria Kurenai…" She said shyly, hiding behind Yuriko.

"I'm so, so sorry! This here is Zero, he's the other prefect I told you about, the one who looks like your bodyguard." She said, bowing apologetically to Maria. She must have gotten quite a start, the poor girl. Zero was such an idiot! He always used his instincts before he assessed the situation, it was a good thing sometimes but right now it couldn't have been a stupider move.

"Well…I shouldn't have been wandering anyway. I'm the one who should be saying sorry, and…" Maria leaned in close to Yuriko, a little to close for Yuriko's own comfort, "Thank you for protecting me like that…you're a good girl…I really like you." She whispered, her voice low but loud enough for Zero to hear. "I know…the blood of a girl like you tastes simply delectable…"

Yuriko shivered, more in fear than anything. "I hope to be friends with you!" She called, running back to her classes, presumably.  
Yuriko stood there, blinking stupidly. "...mixed messages much...?"

Zero scoffed, putting his gun back into the holster underneath his jacket while Yuriko turned to face him with a stern look on her face. "What in the hell was that? You just pulled a gun at her for no reason, are you out of your fucking mind?" She hissed, Zero groaned to himself,  
"…its none of your business." He muttered, stalking away from her.  
Those words normally meant that it was a bad idea to speak with him any further. Yuriko felt her mood sink and she too walked away.

.

"Yuri-chan!" Nene snapped, as her friend came back down to earth. "You haven't heard a word I've said have you?"

"...Not a word!" She grinned shamelessly. As far as she knew Nene was babbling again, about…something that was pointless in her mind anyway; otherwise she wouldn't have zoned out like that.

"The dance party! Oh! I can't wait! We're going to have to get dresses-" And that was where Yuriko went back up in the clouds again. She really didn't care about this dance party– correction; she didn't exactly want to go. She was never really a fan of dresses, make-up and doing hair...Nene and Kumiko however, were dying to attack her with all kinds of beauty products.

Kumiko was sick today…or so Yuriko was told to say to all the teachers, in reality she just wanted to lie in bed all day. Sure, Yuriko wanted to do the same but last night she had an unspeakable nightmare. No matter how tired she was, her nerves were way too on edge to go back to sleep for fear of having that nightmare again. Yes she did read the ring...and yes, she would be killing Takuma for recommending it to her. Sure it was her own fault but...

"Oh and Aido-senpai will be there too!" Nene squealed, poking Yuriko's arm.

Honestly...she loved Nene. Really she did, but when her fangasming over Aido started Yuriko just wanted to slap the girl and tell her what an ass hole Aido really and truly was.

And as if by a godsend, Yuriko spotted Zero, Yuuki and Sayori walking together. Zero was lost in his own thoughts, as expected really, he'd left in a really bad mood for some reason. His eyes caught hers for a moment and her gut did something– it felt like she'd just taken a dip on a roller coaster.

"Yurik-chan! Pay attention to...EVIL LORD TATTOO NECK, FLEE! FLEE YOUNG ONES!" And with that Nene scurried down the corridor, leaving Yuriko staring after her. She shook her head and laughed. Same as always.

She turned her attention back to where Yuuki and Zero once were...now all she could see was a bunch of angry fan girls, glaring at Yuuki. The brunette shoved her books at her friend and sprinted away, leaving a trail of furious ladies behind her.

Yuriko blinked a few times. She made her way over to Sayori, "What just happened?" She asked with a slight laugh.

"Well, I'm not sure myself but…it seems like one of the night class students got out, and the vice dorm president of the moon dorms was trying to catch her. Then Zero-kun warned Yuuki not to go near her, and Aido-senpai came out of nowhere and all the fan girls got mad at Yuuki…then Zerp-kun and Aido-senpai went off to talk while Yuuki ran away from the fan girls…" She stated in a nutshell, still holding her friend's books.

"Ah. It all makes- Wait…why did Aido want to talk to Zero?"  
"I'm not sure, but it looked serious…"

Yuriko thought for a moment but stopped, it wasn't often she was allowed to talk to Sayori. (due Nene's constant whinging that they couldn't be the 'wicked trio' without her) "So…have you studied for exams yet, Sayori?"  
"Yeah, I started a while ago. I'd ask you the same thing but its obvious you won't be studying at all." Sayori smiled, Yuriko was quite predictable when it came to things like this. It wasn't like she was stupid or anything...she was just plain lazy. The girl was actually very clever when she put her mind to it.  
"Hee, yeah…and no…I might study, but I might not depending…" Yuriko replied, she had been debating whether or not she should or shouldn't study for her exams. She had the attention span of a gold fish and she found it hard to focus without someone hitting her head, reminding her that she should be concentrating every ten seconds.

"How about the ball? Have you got a dress yet?" Sayori asked.

"…Dress…Uhm…I don't have one, how about you?" Yuriko grinned, now…she did see a lot of dresses in town that took her fancy but, much like Yuuki and Zero, she was broke. In honesty it was Yuriko's fault those two were broke in the first place…always borrowing money…never repaying. Then again when they did offer to pay her back she refused...What would she be like when she left school?  
"I was going to go out to get one tomorrow, if you want to go with me?" Sayori smiled, snapping Yuriko from her thoughts.

"I'd love to but...the chairman said he'd be tutoring myself and Yuuki...man, I've been spacey today..." She said sheepishly.

"Yeah. Kiryuu seems to be the same, you don't know what's up with him do you?"  
"Not a clue." Yuriko shook her head.

She had some idea as to what was up with him. That transfer student definitely had something to do with it. Since he saw her, he had been acting really off. I mean, he pulled a gun on her…sure he did that with every vampire, but there was something about his expression when he did so that puzzled Yuriko. He looked furious, as if she had done something to him, but how could she have if she just arrived?

This would be something else that would be on Yuriko's mind for a while.

.

"Okay I get it now, can I _please _leave?" Yuriko groaned. Currently Zero was tutoring both Yuriko and Yuuki; while Yuriko was quick to pick up on things Yuuki wasn't. And the longer she stayed here, the more questions Yuuki asked causing Yuriko to get bored with the same explanations. How Zero had the patients to deal with Yuuki's stupidity was a mystery to Yuriko sometimes.

"Fine...don't come crying to me when you fail."  
"Hey, you and I both know that even if I knew all the answers I'd still fail. And why's that? Because I still can't read." She sighed, stretching as she stood up. Zero shook his head, rolling his eyes a little and turned his attention back to a still befuddled Yuuki.

Yuriko made her way into the kitchen, humming happily to herself. Just as she pulled a mug from the press a thought crossed her mind...would she have to repeat first year if she failed all her exams? Well that was very likely. She still couldn't manage to write in Japanese and some teachers were merciless with her, telling her she should work harder and that she could do better. But in all honesty she wasn't bothered right now. She was tired and she'd been having frequent headaches and that couldn't be healthy.  
She glanced over at the clock, "Half eight...well, the chairman's patrolling for us so...may as well get some sleep for once..." She mumbled, putting the mug back in the press.

.

.

.


	15. Backstage

15. Backstage

Why? Why did the girls _insist_ that Yuriko wear a dress? She had planned on going in her uniform, mainly because she didn't exactly have a dress to go in...but now she was staring in the floor length mirror in Nene's room at her own reflection. It was a light blue knee length strapless dress, it wasn't all that extravagant and it was the only one all three of them agreed on.

"…I feel so-"  
"Girly! I know! You look so pretty Yuri-chaan~! Oh I'm so proud of my hairstyling-ness and my dress-"  
"_My _dress, Nene. Mine."

For the past three hours, both Nene and Kumiko had been attacking poor Yuriko with various hair products, make up and various other such things Yuriko disliked.

Kumiko's family name was known all over the world as a brand of formal dresses and suits, as for Nene, well she just loved doing people's hair. As a result Yuriko ended up becoming their personal doll. She was sure she tried on around seventy (very expensive) dresses and had a whole load of her hair pulled out by Nene. And in the end they decided on going simple with her. To tell the truth, Yuriko quite liked the dress. She would have thought Kumiko would have gone extreme, with a long dress with countless frills and lace, made of the finest silk...or something to that general effect. Nene was reigned in by Kumiko and had Yuriko's hair pined back by a silver clip.

"You didn't have to…I said I didn't want to go anyway-"  
"Tsk, but you have to Yuri. We might actually find you a man tonight!" Kumiko stated, joking obviously. Yuriko was hers for the taking…now if only she could get her to swing the other way.

"Not Aido-senpai! He's mine!" Nene piped.  
"Nene, we all know that you'll just sit in a corner and sob while he dances with every other girl in the room because your too chicken to ask him." Yuriko stated, and it was indeed what she would be doing. Even she knew it. She pouted like a small child in her frilly pink dress, "Humph! Well you just wait and see! My prince charming Aido-senpai will whisk his lovely princess Nene-chan off her feet tonight!" She cried, flailing her hands around animatedly.

"Can we just go now?" Nene snapped, turning on her heel to walk out the door. Yuriko sighed and followed Kumiko on her command. It seemed like they both wanted to get this night over and done with. Nene skipped on ahead of the two, stumbling in her heels every which way.

"Yuri…do me a favour and don't leave the party tonight without telling me. I have a bad feeling…" Kumiko whispered, as she passed the brunette to follow Nene.

Yuriko looked puzzled, Kumiko was weird like that. Whenever she had a bad feeling, usually it was right. And usually Yuriko ignored those warnings of hers too.

The ball was in full swing by the time the trio had arrived.  
"Ah! Yuriko-chan is all dressed up too! Uwah! My two little girls are growing up!" All Yuriko had to do was glance to know who had said that.

"Where's Zero and Yuuki?" She asked, walking over to the chairman, whom…was dressed much like a pirate in her opinion. Not that she thought it was weird, in all honesty she though the chairman was the coolest man alive, ever.

"Ah, Yuuki-chan is dancing with Kaname-kun and…Kiryuu-kun is over there, but before you go Yuriko-chan, I have a request of you." He replied, making Yuriko loosing count of how many times he said 'kun' and 'chan' really, did he call everyone by a pet name of some sort?

"Request…?"  
"Yep. See that big stunning grand piano over there-"

"Oh! Hell no!" Yuriko snapped.

The only things Yuriko was talented in was music, dancing and art. That was where her talent came to a grinding halt. She pretty much failed at everything else. Sport, academics, cooking oh and sewing can be thrown in there too. She could play the piano, violin and the guitar, and apparently she could sing as well. (She thought otherwise) She'd made the mistake of letting the chairman hear her play and now he'd hound her to play at school events and the like.

"Oh come now Yuriko-chan! One song! Just one!"  
"…Your not letting this go are you-"  
"Ah, I thought it would be so fantastic if Yuriko-chan played the piano for everyone! Oh what a wonderful-"  
"Okay! Okay! Jesus! Don't start having some kind of big dramatic epic speech! Please!" Yuriko whined, she really, really didn't want to play. But…it looked like she had no choice in the matter. Well it wasn't as if she'd have anything else to do tonight...

"Not yet though, I'll call you when the time comes, sweetheart!" He smiled, walking off to see how his lovely students were doing, while Yuriko made her way over to Zero.

"God…The chairman wants me to play the piano later…not fun." She sighed, leaning against the pillar Zero was also leaning against, trying to make conversation with him. Takuma was being bombarded by his fan club while Shiki and Rima were trying to lay low. Nene was hiding in a corner looking for Aido and Kumiko was flirting with a day class student. So Zero was really the only person she could talk to.  
"Oh…its you- What happened to your-"  
"Nene Nadashiko and Kumiko Fujisaki." Yuriko stated simply.

"Since when did you play?" Zero asked, keeping his eyes on the pair out on the balcony. Jealousy and longing all but seething from his eyes.

"Since ages ago, I also play the violin and the guitar but that's it really-" Yuriko paused to look and see what on earth Zero was looking at; both Yuuki and Kaname were dancing out on the balcony, looking very happy too. Zero was obviously jealous that he couldn't dance with Yuuki.  
Since a good while ago, Yuriko noticed that Zero was falling head over heels in love with Yuuki. (She couldn't blame the boy really) But what frustrated her was that no matter how much she, or Zero hinted it to Yuuki, her eyes would always be on Kaname. No matter what Zero did, no matter what Yuriko did, Yuuki loved Kaname and that was that. Needless to say Zero just kept on falling. It was so upsetting to watch as Yuuki admired Kaname while Zero just watched, the distress obvious in his eyes. But there was something else stirring inside of her as well and she refused to acknowledge what that might be.

Yuriko clicked her fingers in front of Zero's eyes as a means to get his attention.  
"What?"

"Look, she'll be done with Kaname in a few minutes _and then _you can dance with her-"  
"I don't want to dance with her." Zero snapped, a slight hint of pink just about tinting his cheeks.  
Yuriko raised her eyebrows at him, "Really. Then tell me why your looking over at her longingly?"

Zero didn't answer her but instead looked at the floor. She sighed, "Right, fine, whatever. You go mope around, I'm off to have fun."  
Even though she had said that, she really had no idea who would actually willingly dance with her…wait, it was more a case of she didn't have the guts to ask someone to dance with her. And there was no way she was asking Takuma lest she be attacked by fan girls later...

So she decided to wander to another pillar to lean against and observe. It wasn't like she wanted to dance...she wouldn't mind it actually. But she was perfectly content just watching everyone else while waiting for the chairman to force her to play the piano.

Thinking of what song she would play on the damn thing would be a start, unless…he wanted her to play something specific. If not, she would look pretty stupid sitting there…all by herself…right at the end of the hallway…with that, as the chairman so correctly mention, stunning grand piano…not playing it and trying to think of what song to play. To tell the truth she didn't know many pieces on the piano, just random things. Like piano versions of her favourite songs and stuff by Yuki Kajiura, Yiruma or Takefumi Haketa. Yes. Even when she was in Ireland she loved Japanese music. More…composers than anything at first, but slowly she was dragged into the world of Jpop, Jrock and all the likes. "Maybe a waltz or something..." She mumbled to herself.

"Yuriko-chan, I believe that piano calls for you!"

Yuriko jumped to see the chairman standing right in front of her, the music had stopped and all of the dancers were looking around confused as to what they were supposed to do. But Yuuki and Kaname still seemed quite happy to dance without the music which at first Yuriko found sweet but then remembered that out there with her near-sister was Kaname.

"Ah! Right…s-so am I to play something specific…or…?" Yuriko trailed.

"Oh! Play whatever you want dear!" The chairman smiled.

She smiled back but more nervously than happily. As she made her way to the piano, all eyes were on her and she could feel her face getting red hot. What the hell should she play?

"Waltz...waltz...!" She muttered, trying to think of something you could dance a waltz to. Eventually she thought of 'Spring Waltz' by Yiruma and played away. She could still feel all those stares and yes, her face still felt hot and her heart was in her throat but she totally ignored it and continued playing. The song only lasted three minutes at the most. She'd be fine.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Yuuki leaving the hall. In a bit of a rush too. But Yuriko couldn't look over, or she knew in her gut she would mess up which would result in the entirety of the school laughing at her.

Hoping no one would notice, Yuriko cut the song a few seconds short. Most people started clapping for her, and Yuriko couldn't help but let off a sheepish grin as she bowed and headed for the balcony. However she was stopped by a few students on the way, praising her for how well she'd played. She brushed them off quickly and once again attempted to go towards the balcony but was stopped once again; this time by Takuma.

"Yuriko-chan, well done! I never knew you could play!" He grinned cheerfully.

"Oh...well I can!" She laughed nervously in reply, unsure of if she should try and brush him off or not. She hadn't seen him in a while and it would be rude to just walk away...

"Would you like to dance now that your little performance is over?" Takuma smiled again.  
He didn't know why...but Kaname had asked him to 'distract' Yuriko. Clearly something bad was going on that Yuriko shouldn't be involved in. He didn't ask what it was and decided to do as he was told; for Yuriko's sake.

"Well…I can't, I'm a tad bit-"  
"Oh! Don't be silly, come on!" He insisted, gently grabbing Yuriko's small wrist, dragging her onto the dance floor. She looked back at the balcony, no one was there.

"You know how to waltz right?" Ichijo said, smiling once again.

"Uh…yeah…" Yuriko replied dazedly, shaking her head a little.

It was then she noticed the various glares she was getting from the other girls, "T-Takuma! I think those other girls want to dance with you way more than I do so-"  
"Eh, but _I _want to dance with you."

Yuriko stared wide eyed at the blonde, as a rush of heat ran up through her features once again.

The blonde smiled, she was so easy to get to blush and to tell the truth she looked lovely tonight as well. However, he felt awful for trying to keep Yuriko out of this loop. Both Zero and Yuuki had rushed out of the hall...who knows what kind of trouble those two prefects were in and it was obvious that Yuriko really wanted to go and find out what was going on...but Takuma was tied. He didn't want Yuriko to get hurt and he couldn't ignore a request from a pureblood nor a friend.

In his dazed state Takuma bumped into someone, "Oh Kain! Why don't you join us!" He beamed.

"Uh…no thanks…I have urgent business to attend to." He sighed, walking away from that overly happy vampire.

"Hey! Ichijo-senpai! Isn't it time we switched! Yuriko has danced with you long enough!" A girl snapped, and as cruel as it sounded, the first thing Yuriko thought of was which exit she was headed for.

"Oh…err…"

Without warning the girls started bickering, shoving Yuriko out of Takuma's grip, whilst shoving each other as well, causing one of them to fall over, Ichijo, on instinct turned his attention to the possibly injured girl. Forgetting momentarily about Yuriko. That was when she made her get away. Heading towards the balcony to find Ruka standing there alone. "Uh...do you know where Kuran-senpai, Yuuki or Zero went?" She asked.

Ruka didn't answer her and instead continued gazing into the distance. "Kaname-sama left...I don't know where he is nor where those two prefects are." She replied distractedly.

Yuriko could feel panic settling into her stomach and sprinted all the way back to the sun dorms, searching frantically for the two, picking up her sword on the way.

She had a feeling this had to do with Maria Kurenai...ever since she came here there was chaos. She had everyone in the night class on edge, Kaname included, Zero was strangely tense too. And now Yuuki was dragged in too? Yuriko would not let this go on.

She checked the moon dorms and as she was rushing around the second floor she caught sight of Maria's 'body guard'. Rushing after him she burst into the room, a fierce look on her face as she held the hilt of her sword in one hand, and her other resting on the sheath, ready to draw her sword at any moment. "Where's Yuuki and Zero…! What...in..." She trailed, noticing that Maria was…unconscious…or alseep...worse yet dead.

"What…the…What's going on? Why is Maria-san sleeping?" She snapped.

The silver haired boy smirked as he strided over to her, "Heh...you're quite cute aren't you?" He said, false honey in his voice. Damn! It was so like Zero's Yuriko couldn't believe it.

"Yeah? Well looks can be deceiving!" She barked, lunging at him as he dodged her, grabbing a sword of his own. She spun around while he lunged at her, Yuriko cleverly used her sheath as a shield and blocked his attack.  
"That they can...they say your body's more honest than your mind." He smirked, pushing against her sheath.

Yuriko was starting to feel her muscles cramp, she was quick on her feet alright but she lacked strength and it was obvious with the size of her body. "Getting tired yet, little girl?" The boy attacked her again, this time Yuriko dodged easily but her heel broke and she fell on her ass, cursing loudly.

Suddenly he kicked her hand, sending her sword skidding across the room. Then he pushed her down, pinning her to the floor as he straddled her waist.

"As I thought...someone of your size couldn't possibly take on even a child."

Yuriko glared at him, fear suddenly coiling in her gut as the silver haired boy leaned in close, "Its a shame...I'd love to stick around and toy with you...but I have a visit with my big brother..."

"What the fuck are you-...!"

The boy got off her abruptly, grabbing her wrist as he brought her with him. He threw her against the couch and she hit her head on the way, yelping before she slipped out of consciousness.

.

.

.


	16. Epiphany

16. Epiphany.

For once in her life, Yuriko Marigan was taking notes. In Spanish. It was quite a miracle to behold, she was writing it down in proper Japanese script too. Though it was still messy…

But why?  
Oh those notes weren't for her at all. They were for one Zero Kiryuu. Yuuki had bribed Yuriko to take down notes for all of the classes that she and Zero were in but Yuuki wasn't. Yuriko felt quite pleased that she was being paid for writing things down and the fact she wouldn't have to worry about chores for the next week. It was so worth it.

Two days ago was when the storm reached its climax, Yuuki ended up telling her everything:

Maria Kurenai was actually being taken over by a woman called Shizuka Hiou; the very pureblood that had changed Zero and murdered his family four years ago. The only way to stop Zero from becoming a level E was if he drank Shizuka's blood, or thats what Shizuka had said. So Yuuki struck a deal with her; if she gave her blood to that woman then she'd give her blood to Zero.  
Of course Zero walked in right before Shizuka sunk her fangs into Yuuki, naturally he was furious. Yuuki tried to reason with Zero but he was really upset and couldn't give a damn. So Shizuka 'bound' Zero with her voice and ordered him to hold Yuuki. He tried to break free but he couldn't, so he shot himself in the leg and a fight between the two ensued.

To make the whole situation worse Zero's _twin brother _arrived on the scene and it turned out he was Shizuka's slave...meaning he was the one who kicked Yuriko's ass.

In the end they found Shizuka's remains later; either Zero's gun wound had killed her...or someone else did it.

Poor Zero was currently trying to recover from his wounds as well as the trauma that woman had left behind. From what Yuuki had told her...Ichiru was still out there. And he had been in love with Shizuka for one reason or another.

Zero might kill Yuriko for this but...she felt badly for Ichiru. Loosing someone you loved was hard and that poor boy had no one now...not even his brother.

"Poor guy..." She sighed absentmindedly.  
"Who is this 'poor guy', Miss Marigan?"

Yuriko looked up into the cold gray eyes of Miss Yashu Kuze. That woman hated her. She loved everyone else in her class, but she hated Yuriko. Yuriko found Spanish difficult, even back when she was in Ireland she found that language difficult to understand.

"Ah...well…err…"  
"Get back to work. Now." She hissed, as she turned away Yuriko discreetly gave her the finger. She hated that Kuze woman, so high on her own horse...

...

After classes had ended Yuriko found that her stomach…no not her stomach, her _uterus _had decided to explode with pain. "I hate this…" She groaned. Indeed, she was on her period again and she hated it so much. She felt extra irritated and a little bit sick. Great, fan-fucking-tastic.

"Yuri…Yuri….Yuri!"

"What?" Yuriko replied, looking over at Kumiko who had her hair tied back today and in all honesty…Yuriko thought it made her look…not like Kumiko anyway.

"I was just telling Nene here about how spaced out you've been since the ball. Are you alright?" She said, eyeing her friend with concern.

"Ah, I'm fine. Just a wee bit worried about Zero, I mean…like he's sick or whatever so…" Yuriko trailed, since that time, she hadn't been able to talk to Zero. No, she was all out avoiding him. She knew in her gut that he was the one who found her passed out on the floor.

All she remembered was waking up in her own bed, with both Zero and Yuuki at her side. Yuuki being Yuuki was frantic asking her if she was really okay, did it hurt anywhere, ect. But Zero stayed quite, really quite. It was like he was brooding over something, probably about how he didn't kill Shizuka…He really hated that woman and in the end he never got his way with her. When she woke up she had a bandage of sorts on her hand and Yuuki was frantically explaining that she was found with that cut. She didn't remember how she got it herself...but she had a pretty good idea as to how she'd gotten it...

"Yuri-chan! Stop spacing, jeeze!" Nene snapped, clicking her fingers in front of the small girl's eyes.

"I can't help it!" She snapped back.

"…Your always worried about Zero aren't you…?" Kumiko mused, if ever something was bothering Yuriko, normally it was Zero again. Quite a bothersome fello wasn't he? Always brooding and making both Yuriko and Yuuki worry about him. Though, Kumiko got the feeling that he didn't see Yuriko…not physically but she wasn't sure if he knew how Yuriko could really go all out for him even if she didn't have to.

"A-Hah! Who's spacing now?" Yuriko grinned, noticing that it was now Kumiko who was spacing out.

"Yeah, heh. Yuri I need to speak with you alone, please." She snapped, looking over at a very upset Nene.  
"W-W-Why d-don't y-you two let me in on s-stuff anym-more?" Nene sobbed, as she began to sulk in the nearest corner.

Kumiko sighed, pulling Yuriko away from the crowded hallway to the empty classroom near by. Classes were over for the day classers now and classes for night classers began in an hour. So Kumiko had plenty of time.

"Yuri, what I'm about to ask you is no joke so don't you dare treat it like one. This isn't something you'll be able to answer straight away either. But I want you to think about it, cruel as it is." She stated quietly, lest some nosy blonde crybaby decided to eavesdrop.

"…Okay then." Yuriko smiled.

"Yuri. I'm dead serious. What I'm about to ask you is serious. Technically it has nothing to do with me, but as your friend…I think you need to confirm…" Kumiko trailed, she didn't know why she was about to ask her friend this, but she herself needed to know too.  
"What do you really think of Zero…as in…What is he to you?" This wasn't just for Kumiko's sake. No, it was for Yuriko's. Kumiko didn't know for sure, but she felt as though Yuriko couldn't make up her mind about how she felt about that other prefect and as a result got frustrated by it. More often than not she seemed to ignore certain feelings. Mind you, this question may very well make her even more upset but…the other reason for the question was so Kumiko could confirm if Yuriko was really and truly hers for the taking or not. Selfish but that was the way Kumiko was. Possessive. Very possessive when it came to Yuriko.

"Hah! He's like-"  
"A brother to you? No. Yuri, I'm deadly serious. Think about it." She replied, giving Yuriko a hard look, "This is for your sake Yuri." She finished gently before leaving the prefect to do her duties.

Yuriko stayed where she was.

'_What is he to me?'_

She shook her head, she hated that question. She hated it. In all honesty…she really and truly had no clue how she felt about Zero and the more she thought about it the more confused she got. She was scared to know how she felt about him. Every now and again she would feel something towards him but she pushed it to the back of her mind and just pretended like she never felt it. But for Kumiko's sake…later she would muse on it. Right now she had very badly written notes to deliver.

Yuriko popped in just on time to see Zero clutching his arm in pain. The first time she'd seen him in three days and she got to see him attempting to hide his pain. Oh great, she thought.

"Okay Zero." She stated, putting the notes down on the coffee table, "You and I both know I saw that."

Zero looked away for a moment, "Long time no see…" He muttered.

"It was three days, did you really miss me that much, Onii-tan?" She trilled lightly.  
"Don't. Call me that." Zero snapped sharply, "And I'm fine. Its nothing-"  
"If it was nothing then why were you clutching it like it was in pain? Hm? Hm? Hmmm?" She hummed, well within Zero's personal space by now.

"What the hell are you going to do about it?" He snapped.

"Oh you're a lovely person to be around aren't you? Your Spanish, science and history notes are on the table." Yuriko said, turning on her heel to walk into the kitchen. In all honesty she was a bit pissed off with Zero. She went to all the trouble of taking _proper _notes for him, shows a wee bit of concern and boom. He just decides to get snappy with her.

Okay…she was PMSing for god sakes of course she was going to be a tad bit crabby. But that was the way most females were. It was unusual for her to be _this _sensitive about silly things but that didn't mean she never was. And the question that Kumiko had asked bothered Yuriko. Just standing in front of Zero made her think way too much for her own good.

"Hold on, I need to talk to you."

Yuriko paused, "I'm listening, make it fast I need tea and I need it now." She said, turning on her heel with her arms folded across her chest.

"What happened to you, that night?"

Ah, the question Yuriko had been dreading to hear from him. She couldn't tell him the truth, no way in hell. But she had already planned what to say in advance, still Zero was a frikken lie detector and she hated that little 'talent' he had.

"I don't remember…I went looking for you and Yuuki…and I…don't know from there…" She said, making it appear as though she was thinking hard.

"Liar, what really happened? Did you see-"

"Everybody lies, Zero." Yuriko said, half hissing, half stating the obvious.

Zero had pretty much lied to Yuriko and Yuuki…technically he just didn't specify or speak of his life but still Yuriko felt like she had been lied to and, as hypocritical as it was, she hated being lied to.

As she turned back around to head for the kitchen Zero grabbed her hand, her _injured _hand.

"How did you get this? Oh, and by the way haven't you noticed your sword has been missing?"

Yuriko's mouth dropped, "That…son of a monkey cock bitch- Ho...shit…"

"Caught you, what really happened."

"Okay, alright fine. Your dearest twin brother…whom didn't tell me his name, got into a sword fight with me and he kicked me ass..." She trailed off, just a tad bit embarrassed, "I ran off to look for you guys and boom. He knocked me out by grabbing my arm and throwing me at the couch, I hit my head and I don't remember a fecking thing after that."

Zero scoffed and plopped back down on the couch. He buried his face in his hands, "Go get your fucking tea..." He muttered.

"Are you-"  
"Just fucking go! Jesus Christ how many times do I have to say it?" He roared, glaring daggers at the little girl in front of him.

She yelped and scurried out the room and into the kitchen, to the safety of her nice warm tea.

...

"Oh! Kitty~!" Yuriko squeeled, noticing a small cat from the corner of her eye.  
At the moment Yuriko was supposed to be patrolling and was actually doing a good job until she saw the cat…she really had a very short attention span. All it took was one cute cat to lead her astray from her duties.

As she approached it, the animal hissed and scraped her, then scurried off.

"Ow…Yeah! You run kitty! Sadistic son of a…entire night…class…?" Yuriko trailed, finally noticing that the entire night class was standing just over a fence separating the woods from the academy. She rather clumsily climbed over the fence to check it out, "Whats all the…Hi…Ichijo…!" Yuriko trilled weakly, remembering that she had left Ichijo at the ball with all those fan girls who most likely made him dance until he could dance no more.

"Ah, Yuriko-chan. Where have you been all this time?"

Avoiding you, she thought. It was bad enough having to avoid Zero but having to avoid one of her best friends was worse.  
"Uh…I've been busy and…stuff…What happened here?" Yuriko asked quickly, trying to change the subject.  
"Well…-"  
"Yuriko, we're leaving." Zero snapped, grabbing the girl by the wrist as he dragged her off.

"W-Wha? No! Wait, I have to talk to Ichijo!" Yuriko retorted, trying to break from Zero's grip, which was hopeless from the start considering her size.

"Kiryuu-kun. I urgently need to speak to Yuriko-chan, surely you could let her stay back for a little bit?"

Zero glared hard at the vice dorm president but let go of Yuriko, "Whatever…" he hissed, walking away from the two.

"Yuriko-chan, I think you have some explaining for me, don't you?" Ichijo said, with a serious look that made him look years older.

Yuriko laughed sheepishly , "I'm sorry for running away from you…but I was worried about Zero and Yuuki so…I went looking for them…"  
"Yes, I understand that you were worried about them, and I know you only wanted to help. But would you imagine my shock when I found you passed out on the ground-"

"Y-You found me?" Yuriko gasped, she sincerely thought that it was Zero whom had found her seeing as he was so pissed off with her! She had woken up in the infirmary with both Yuuki and Zero at her side. Neither said who had brought her there so she just presumed it was Zero.

Now she really felt guilty.

"I'm so sorry…! I just…" She trailed off, Ichijo was her best friend, vampire or not. They both had the same interests, that being books, anime and manga. Also Ichijo really…really liked to role play. It was quite fun sometimes others…well…lets just say he got far too much into the role. Not only that but she trusted him, and Yuriko's trust wasn't easily gained either.

"It's alright, you only wanted to help your friends. But I want you to understand that sometimes its just best to leave things be. _At times, _people trying to help others only ends up with one extra casualty." Ichijo said, trying to reason with Yuriko. She was quite lovely in the fact that she tried to help in every way possible but sometimes she took it too far and got hurt in the process.

"Yuriko-chan, I want you to promise me not to do reckless things that aren't exactly necessary."

Yuriko froze for a moment, a _promise. _She hadn't made a promise since that day…seven years ago with Yumiko.

"Okay…I promise." She said, smiling, trying to hide the pain in her eyes.

Ichijo returned the smile, "Now then…about that manga I let you borrow-"  
"Oh! Goodness look at the time, buh bye!" Yuriko said quickly, avoiding the subject. The manga he had let her borrow was called _'Crimson Shell'_ and it was really good, she just honestly didn't want to give it back and she was broke so…technically she was borrowing it and not going to give it back any time soon…

...

...

...

"Z-Zero! Let go of me!" Yuriko whined, trying to wrench herself from the silver haired male's grip.  
"You know your not allowed in here, now go."  
Just a few moments before, Yuriko had once again tried to sneak into Zero's dorm, or more her old dorm. And unbeknownst to her Zero was simply lounging around until he saw her trying to get in. Now, he was trying to get her out before she got in trouble with the dorm head, landing her in another detention which would also mean a suspension for her. But of course, being the stubborn donkey she was, she just wasn't having any of it.

"Pleeease? I'll only be a sec, I swearziez!"

Zero gave her a puzzled look, 'swearziez'? Did she seriously just say that? And Zero thought she couldn't be any more childish.

"Kiryuu!"

Zero looked around, as did Yuriko.  
"What is it, dorm leader?" He asked casually, not letting his grip down on Yuriko's small wrist.

"Cross has been standing outside the dorms for a while now, she normally just barges right on in. Did you bully her?"

"…huh?" Zero said, unimpressed.

"Oh, the girl's dorm president is talking to her, she's probably being scolded- Yuriko?"

Yuriko gave her former dorm president a sheepish little wave, "I got a wee bit home sick for this place, hee."

"O-Oh…is that so…" He mumbled, his eyes a bit lower than they should have been.

Of course, Yuriko had brought that on herself by wearing a v-neck sweater and a pair of tight fitting jeans.

"Dude, I have a face." She said, snapping her fingers at the boy.

"A-Ah, it's a guy from the night class." He stated, trying to change the subject.

There were a lot of good looking girls in the day class, but one of the so called 'A listed' girls was Yuriko herself. Cute, witty, and she had a great sense of humour. Along with all of that was her amazing body proportions, not only did she have a decent pair of boobs, but she had a dancers ass and amazing legs. The only problem with her was her…hyper activity. She was insane and really, really impossible for any man to handle. One minute she could be sitting peacefully and the next she would be outside chasing a bird or something.

The dorm leader had a bit of a thing for her and for her friend Kumiko as well, but he knew he hadn't a chance with Kumiko. Almost everyone knew she was all out lesbian for Yuriko and…Yuriko herself, well she shared a dorm with Kiryuu. Enough said.

Suddenly Zero opened the window, let go of Yuriko and jumped out of said window and began to scold Aido, or…at least that was what he looked like he was doing.  
"Ah…I'm free! Woo hoo!" Yuriko chirped, raising both of her hands in the air for victory. "So how've you been nameless dorm leader~?" She said, placing her hands behind her back, taking a step towards the boy.

"…I-Its Kiyoshi…Kiyoshi Yasashiku." He stated.

"Ah! Kiyo-chan then!" Yuriko grinned, glancing out the window to see Zero dashing off after Aido.  
"Ah…well…that…"

"Well, I should go now. Bye bye, Kiyo-chan!" She chirped, running off down the stairs to find out what had just happened.

...

Some time later, Yuriko found that Aido had 'run away' from the moon dorms and had decided to hide out in the chairman's house/_their _house. Honestly his childishness never ceased to amaze Yuriko. It was extreamly hard to believe he was likely to be ten times older than she was...

"Jesus christ almighty! He ate enough for three and he still wants more?" She exclaimed, whilst washing the dishes.

"Well…he looked kind of depressed." Yuuki said, unsurely.

"Is he stress eating…? Ah, give him blood tablets for now, I'll cook up some more food." Zero said, tossing his blood tablet case at Yuuki. "Its fine, I don't hate cooking." He added quickly.

It was like a little routine they had set up all of a sudden, Yuriko was washing the dishes, Zero was cooking and Yuuki was like the little waitress, Yuriko thought grinning and humming happily to herself.

Yuuki stared at Zero, wondering…was it really alright to get Zero to do such things with the time he had left…?  
"What…? Why are you staring at me?" Zero snapped, pausing in his cooking.

"I-Its nothing! Really!" Yuuki said quickly walking off, only to be stopped by Zero. His hand pressed against the wall, preventing Yuuki from leaving.  
"If you've got something to say, say it."

Yuuki looked down, "Should I be letting you use the time you have left…to be doing stuff like this…? Huh?"

Yuriko suddenly stopped humming, glancing over her shoulder to see what was going on. Somewhere...she felt a sudden drop. Maybe it was the pit of her stomach...but she felt it twisting in agony and she felt something she couldn't quite describe as Zero covered the small girl's eyes for a moment, smiling at her, "Silly. Your not letting me decide for myself? Yuuki, do you always intend to act this way with me, hm? Smile."

There was a sudden crash from behind them.  
"Shit! I dropped the plate, my bad~" Yuriko trilled, what the hell did she just do? Did she just drop that…_on purpose_?

"Yuuki don't touch the-!"

Yuuki rushed over to help Yuriko with the pieces regardless of Zero's warning; only to cut herself.

"Don't touch the pieces you idiots! I'll-"  
"Wait!" Yuuki interrupted.

Yuriko stared in shock, unsure of what to make of this situation..._ "What is he to you...?" _She couldn't help but look away. She was scared to find out...she was scared of acknowledging the feelings that she knew had been present since...well since a while ago. The consequences would surely...

Shaking her head Yuriko looked over just in time to see Yuuki standing up, her small bleeding finger extended a little. "Lick it."

Zero didn't hesitate, and brought that small delicate finger to his mouth.

That was when Yuriko left, she didn't know why, it was as if her body was acting on its own. She silently stood up and walked camly away...but as soon as she was out of sight she nearly bolted for her room. She felt…upset, angry and…something else she couldn't pin point. More she didn't _want _to pin point.

She stormed up to her room and slid down the door. Unable to keep herself from hearing Kumiko's words again.

'_What is he to you?'_

"Zero…to me…is…"

She shook her head, she didn't know and she was almost afraid to know. But…for Kumiko…her friend…she had to know. This was for Kumiko's sake... no, Kumiko was asking her that question for her own sake. For Yuriko's...she needed to do this. If this was something Kumiko saw as a problem...well it must be pretty bad.

Yuriko took a deep breath and lay down on her bed.

The question itself was what was Zero to her. But maybe if she tried to rephrase it, it would be easier to answer, or maybe just thinking of it a different way.

How did she feel about Zero?

She squinted her eyes a little bit...she tried taking her feelings for him in steps. From when she first arrived until this point.

When she first met him...well she was just plain scared of him. He suddenly snap at her for no reason, or just walk out of a room she was in. As time passed he started talking to her a bit more...and then she created that little 'shell' of hers and she would annoy him constantly...but why? Why did she annoy him? Normally...children would annoy someone if they wanted attention. "So...I want his attention..." She murmured, still not making sense of it.

Nowadays...she felt she couldn't look him in the eye without feeling her stomach churn; and it wasn't an entirely unpleasant. She could barely keep her composure around him at certain times and others she was too hyper to care.

"Damn it I'm avoiding the question!" She scolded herself.

_'How do I feel about Zero...why do I care about him so much...?'_  
She…felt like she just wanted to help him get better even if just a bit. He was always so sad looking and not once since she had been here had he smiled. Not once, sure the odd smirk but he had never smiled as though he was truly happy. The smile would never reach his eyes. He had never laughed either. She wanted him to be happy…she wanted to make him happy, however if there was someone else besides him who made him happy, even if it hurt her, she would act as though she was fine with it for his sake. All she wanted was for him to be happy...and even though she really wanted to be the one to do so-

"Oh...oh fuck...Fuck! Fuck me! No! No, no, no!" She gasped, lurching forward. "I'm…I...l-love…him...?" Her eyes widened in shock, no! That wasn't it, it couldn't be! No! She didn't…love Zero did she…? He was there for her…when she needed him to be…most of the time. But she knew she was always there for him, if he asked her to throw her life away she would do it. But feeling like a sister towards him was the same wasn't it? Or was she just being stubborn…refusing to admit that she was in love? To be perfectly honest Yuriko didn't even know the difference between being in love with someone and caring for them like a sister. So how was she supposed to tell the difference?

Almost in answer to her questions there was a knock at the door.

"Its open."

Low and behold Zero Kiryuu walked into the room. And that was when she started acting up; her heart rate kicked itself up a few notches and started crawling up her throat, her eyes wouldn't leave his figure and she found herself noticing the way he moved.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I mean, its bad enough that you had been bitten by me, but having to…is something wrong?" Zero paused, Yuriko had her hand near her mouth, one of the things she did when she was either worried or confused.

"Wh…No! No its nothing at all!" She grinned, but her hands were shaking and she couldn't control it. She knew it there and then...there was no denying it. For ages she'd been casting it aside, burying it, hiding it, trying to get rid of it...but the truth of the matter was she was in love with Zero. And now every little thing she hid was coming back to bite her on the ass; just like with everything she tried to hide.

Zero sighed heavily, "I hate having to repeat myself but; if you have something to say, then say it for gods sakes, your worse than Yuuki."

Yuriko looked at her feet…should she tell him?

"I…don't know…if I can, I mean…I just found out this second and I'm still in shock…I've never...I didn't know...I kept pretending I didn't but I did and..."

Zero sat down beside the smaller girl and ruffled her hair with a sigh, "Just say it out loud. I don't care what it is, but its not good for you to keep it inside if its something your in shock over."

She was going to have to look at him when she said this…she knew she would have to, or else she would have to say it twice to convince him. Already she could feel her features heating up and apprehension was beginning to set in. She knew he didn't love her back...but she needed to let him know. She felt like he should know...

Yuriko looked up at him, the person in front of her was Zero but her heart was beating so hard in her chest that she felt like it was going to jump out at the poor boy. She'd never reacted this was around him...or at least she tried not to sometimes. Her throat had suddenly became very tight and her larynx was even tighter. But she had to do it...

"I…I love you, Zero."

Zero was now the one who was in shock, he stayed silent for a few moments, staring in disbelief at Yuriko. "Y…your not joking are you…?" He finally said.

"Nope…I don't know when…but I realized it just then. I thought a little bit too much…!" She smiled, she was suddenly very tense and extremely nervous. She knew in her gut there was no way in hell he felt the same. And yet at the same time...somewhere she was hoping for the impossible...that he'd love her back.

"I don't love you...I'm sorry Yuriko."

.

.

.


	17. Déjà vu

17. Déjà vu

"_I don't love you. I'm sorry Yuriko."_

Those words, even though she knew those words were coming she still was still deeply hurt…

It was nearly a week since she had heard them but still, the ache felt like it would never leave. Day in day out, the same old soreness remained in her chest and never ceased to swell a few sizes bigger whenever she was around Zero. She was so damned aware of him now too, which didn't help in the slightest. Also she felt a little bit funny as well. She knew this feeling she just couldn't pin point the name.

"Yuriko…? You lookin' a bit pale there are you okay?"

"Ah, I'm grand Nene!" She chirped, smiling at the blonde. But to tell the truth, not only was Zero on her mind non stop and the fact she couldn't remember a pretty big chunk of what had happened last night was starting to scare her.. Also she did feel a bit weak, she had just ignored it up until now but she was really starting to feel drained.

As she stood up, "See..." She felt an all too familiar sensation by now, her head felt really light and the world started blurring a little. "…ff…fuck…" She muttered as her hand slid across the table while she collapsed to the ground.

Zero was awoken by the sudden uproar in chattering. He glanced over to see what all the fuss was about.

There, on the floor was Yuriko, she looked to be passed out and that wasn't all; she had a lovely pair of puncture wounds in her neck.

Without a second thought he shot up, "Move it." Zero snapped, gathering Yuriko up in his arms. "I'll take her to the infirmary."

"I'm going with you." Kumiko snapped, rushing over.

Zero didn't argue with her, he wasn't bothered anyway. He was still pretty damn tired...he hadn't been able to sleep well since Yuriko confessed. Guilt was heavy on his mind...but what else could he have done?

"I'm going to kill you…" She hissed as they left the classroom.

"Huh?"

"She told me by the way; that she loves you. All while having that broken hearted look in her eyes."

Zero flinched, he was in so much trouble. That heavy weight in his chest just got heavier, he really didn't need a lecture from Kumiko. He could have done worse to her, he could have taken advantage of her or something...then again that wasn't like him at all but if he had been one of those guys...Out of all the people in the school she could have fallen for why him? Why?

Kumiko was so pissed off he could almost feel it. Oh yeah, things were so going his way today. "How _dare _you break her heart like that!" She snarled.

Kumiko had asked her how she felt about Zero, and of course she told her that she confessed that she loved him, to his face and Zero had said that he didn't love her...she looked so upset these days. And it was all _his _fault.

"Excuse me for feeling the way I do. At least I had the decency to answer her, I could have just walked away and said nothing-"  
"Which would have been better for her!"  
"She knew I never loved her even before I said it!"

"Can you even see her?"  
Zero gave Kumiko a puzzled look, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Kumiko went silent, she was so angry at him. She knew that he couldn't see her…because all he seemed to see was Yuuki. It was almost as if she was purposely blocking Zero's view of Yuriko. Kumiko knew that Yuriko was an amazing person, she was kind, caring and gentle when someone needed her. And her kindness was never ending. Sure she could be extremely annoying at times but she was a sweet girl nonetheless.

However…just as Yuriko realized her feelings for Zero, Kumiko realized her own for Yuriko. No, she didn't love her…as in, she wasn't in love with her, she loved her as a dear younger sister. She would do anything for her and at the same time she loved teasing her. But those feelings weren't those of a lover, they were those of a sister. And then…she realized she loved someone else and unfortunately for Yuriko it was indeed, someone in the night class. Someone Kumiko never thought she could ever love or even have a crush on for that matter…

"You know what I mean, can you see her? Do you really know her? Do you acknowledge she's there? Or are you too preoccupied with someone else to notice?" She growled, opening the door to the infirmary as a way to end their conversation.

...

Takuma walked quickly up to Kaname's room, his mind rushing with panic.

"Kaname, I'm sorry for waking you so early, but we have a problem. Yuriko was bitten by someone and she fainted. The day class thought it was anemia but…"

The conversation wasn't very long. Soon Kaname had gotten up, dressed and was making his way to the chairman's office to address the issue. But before he left he ordered a few night class students to try and catch the culprit as the two prefects wouldn't be able to do so alone and Yuriko wouldn't be able to remember a thing anyway...

He chewed on his lower lip as he paced around his room. Guilt was heavy on his mind...he really was a coward.

Yuriko was a very dear friend to him, and she trusted him enough to tell him about her past. Though…being a part of the Ichijo clan he already knew, he pretended not to…all of the higher classing vampires knew about her case because it was so rare. A foreigner being attacked by a level E, resulting in that foreigner having to stay in the country due to the amount of trauma.

"I'm such a fool..."

Every vampire went through bloodlust for someone at least once in their lives...Takuma just wasn't expecting it. He didn't know how to deal with it and he just...

"Ichijo-san?"

The blonde jolted, "Ah...Shiki."

….

After gathering the rest of the students Kaname had requested, they made their way to the infirmary where Yuriko was sleeping. Restlessly as expected.

"Yuriko-chan…Yuriko-chan…wake up…" Ichijo whispered softly.

He knew that when Yuriko slept peacefully, she was impossible to wake. However, if she was restless it would only take a small tap on the shoulder to awaken her.

"…mum…?" Yuriko mumbled, confused, looking up from her pillow.

Ichijo frowned he could feel pity welling up again as well as guilt. "No, I'm sorry Yuriko-chan. Its Ichijo."

Yuriko blinked, thrown for a moment before coming to her senses. "Oh…where am I now…?"

"The infirmary, you collapsed." He stated kindly.

"Ah…ha…why do I find that funny?" She grinned to herself.

"Oh, but it isn't funny Yuriko-chan. You were bitten by a student…and you collapsed from blood loss. We've come here to see if you remembered anything."

"W…we've…- Ah!" Yuriko gasped, looking over to see Shiki, Rima, Kain and even Ruka at the window. All of which were looking at her.

"W…why hello there." She said nervously smiling at them.

And after twenty minutes of questioning, Yuriko couldn't remember thing. "I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed.

"Its alright- and oh!" Ichijo gasped, walking over to the window. "Happy birthday, Yuriko-chan!" He exclaimed, passing a bunch of flowers to her.  
"E-Eh? Oh! Thank you!" She giggled, taking the flowers. Realizing that it was around one in the morning so technically it was her birthday…it just wasn't day time and such.

Everyone looked around baffled for a moment. Who in the hell forgot their birthday? "Uh...-"

Just then, Zero and Yuuki walked in, staring in shock at the scene before them.

"Hm? Ah, Yuuki-chan and Kiryuu-kun! Did you come to see Yuriko-chan too?" He grinned brightly.

"Ichijo-senpai…? Everyone, the night class is supposed to be in emergency day off isn't it?"

As Yuuki bickered with the night class, Yuriko looked at Zero…for the first time today. He was busy also scolding the students.

"_I don't love you…" _Yuriko shook her head, why was it that whenever she looked at him that was all she could hear?

Zero looked back at her, straight in the eyes.  
Agony, longing and heartbreak... He couldn't take it, and just walked away. Knowing that he was the one who had given her such a look in the first place…

He didn't mean to, he really wished he didn't have to tell her that he didn't love her like she did but he couldn't exactly lie to her. He didn't want to.

Was Kumiko right, maybe? Did he really see her…? Thinking back on it, all that was on his mind was Yuuki. Maybe…Yuuki was blinding him to Yuriko- No. Yuuki wasn't like that, Yuuki was kind and considerate. She would never do such a thing! Would she...?

…

"_Eh...Takuma you look odd are you okay?" He continued staring at the floor, hands resting on both his knees as he sat on the windowsill, not speaking a word, his light blonde hair covering most of his face. She touched his shoulder gently, "Come on, its not like you to..."_

_Without warning he lunged at her, and that was when his fangs sank into her skin._

Yuriko jolted, she was panting heavily. "Weird dream was weird..." She mumbled. Her body was still laden with tiredness...but she felt too scared to sleep. Suddenly she heard a shout from beside her coming from Zero himself. "Yuuki…!"

She lazily turned over to see what the problem was, not even bothering herself to sit up, but instead pulled the sheets back a little so she could see.

Zero was sitting up in the bed next to her, looking like he was in total utter shock. Obviously he must have had a bad dream or something to that effect. Just as she was about to get up and ask him what was wrong, Yuuki walked in. She pulled the sheets up a little and made the mistake of watching.

"Zero, I found you…jeez! I didn't think you'd be ditching duties in a place like this…Whats…wrong?"

Suddenly, Yuuki was pulled into Zero's embrace, "You're…alive…I thought…I'd killed you…" He mumbled in a panic of some sort.

"…Can't…breath…Zero…!" Yuuki gasped, "Zero!" She pushed out of his hold and held his face, "Are you okay?" She said, her eyes wide with concern.

"…Yeah…"

"Good…!" Yuuki sighed, relived.

As if. He'd just told Yuuki that he'd thought that he killed her. Just as Yuriko was about to sit up and scold him for almost suffocating Yuuki…he began to lean in towards her until he was just inches away from her lips. Yuriko's eyes widened and her stomach started knotting itself violently enough for her to feel sick. Just as that feeling reached its breaking point, Zero pulled back. "…No…its nothing."

"uh…yeah…" Yuuki mumbled, her face turning a shade of red.

"Really…there must be something wrong with me…because I had a weird dream. I wasn't fully awake yet." He stated, staring hard at Yuuki.

"O..kay…I understand so stop staring at me!"

Yuriko moved her head down into the sheets, her eyes wide and her breath hitching in her throat. She heard them shuffling towards her and she closed her eyes quickly knowing that if Zero knew she had seen that…

"Ah…she's sleeping."  
"Leave her be for now…she'll be fine…" Yuriko heard Zero mumble as he continued to walk off.

Yuriko began to sob to herself after they left, silently, unable to even cry out. She knew she was being silly…but it hurt so much. The day after she confessed her love to Zero, she had to see him almost kissing Yuuki. And even though he had said it meant nothing…she knew that Zero loved Yuuki. Knowing that the chances of those feelings being returned were slim to none, as long as Yuuki loved Kaname Kuran and no one else.

Suddenly Yuriko heard the sound of the door sliding open, "Yuriko-chan?"

Yuriko jolted a little, attempting to stop her tears from flowing but it didn't work. "Yuriko-chan are you-"  
"D-Don't...pull the sheets back Takuma..." She said, her voice breaking a little bit.

It was obvious to Takuma she was crying by now, "What happened, hm?" He asked softly, petting the top of the small brunette's hair.

"…nothing…" She mumbled quietly, trying to stop herself from drowning in her own pointless tears.  
"If it was nothing you wouldn't be crying now, would you?"

Yuriko didn't reply but instead let her tears fall, not caring if Takuma decided to pull the sheets back or not. But she knew he wouldn't. He also wouldn't ask her to answer him. Takuma was one of the few people Yuriko felt understood her even a little. He knew better than to speak to her now, all she needed was for him just to be there. She'd tell him when she was good and ready.

He was still petting her hair, it was something she used to do for her little sister Yumiko whenever she was feeling down. And it really did help, he just kept petting her, over and over. Closing her eyes Yuriko tried to go back to sleep, to maybe try and forget the pain even if momentarily.

Takuma heard Yuriko's breathing even out, she was sleeping. Standing up again, Takuma turned around and pulled the sheets back from Yuriko's face. Her eyebrows were creased, and her eyelashes were still wet with tears.

Takuma felt his heart twist into a tight knot. He felt as though he'd do anything to take that pain away, she'd been through more than enough, she didn't need anything else tormenting her. Sometimes he'd wish he could just take her away from it all...but he couldn't. He had far too many restrictions; he was a noble class vampire, she was a human, he was a member and heir to the Ichijo household...

The blonde petted her hair one last time and left her to rest, feeling that lingering pain in his chest.

He knew it wasn't a good idea to just let her bottle it all up, but he thought it was worse to try and get her to talk about it. She was being held together by very thin threads and he didn't want to break any of them anymore.

"…What a birthday…" He sighed, still not believing that little Yuriko was eighteen...it felt like just yesterday she was that little girl he'd met two years ago. To be honest Takuma was eternally grateful to the chairman for choosing him to tutor Yuriko in sword fighting. She had only been sixteen years old at the time...she knew a good bit of Japanese but she found it hard to pronounce some of the words. He chuckled to himself as he remembered trying to teach the difference between tsu and su.

But to think he'd attacked her last night...he finally knew what his grandfather meant when he said a human and a vampire could never be lovers. Bloodlust was such an overwhelming thing...not even Takuma, with the highest blood restraint amongst the nobles gave in to the inner animal. He still remembered far too clearly the feeling of his fangs piercing her soft pale skin...the undeniable feeling of fulfillment drinking her blood brought him. She attempted to scream but he silenced her with an aggressive kiss. He was so lost he wasn't aware that he'd taken enough blood to make her pass-out. After ten minutes he finally came to his senses and panicked. He was utterly disgusted with himself, for what he thought...for what he still wanted to do to the poor girl. He sensed someone coming, so he quickly erased her memories and lay her down by the windowsill, running away like the coward he was. Takuma knew well he'd have lost Yuriko if he didn't erase her memories...

"Ah...I should really hurry, its almost curfew..." He murmured to himself, walking quickly down the corridor, masking that lingering pain with a bright smile.

…

"Good morning little miss adult!" Kumiko chirped, as she waltzed into Yuriko's bed room. Yes, in the chairman's house. How she found the key was far from Yuriko's mind but right now she just wanted to sleep.  
"…neh…don't care…want sleepage…" She mumbled, burrowing her face further into her pillow.

Kumiko's dark eyes glinted, "Get her Nene."

Nene suddenly jumped on Yuriko and began jumping up and down on the poor girl, screaming and shouting at the top of her lungs.  
"Haaaauuuuu! Get off me! I'm up, I'm up!" Yuriko groaned, swinging her legs out of the bed. As she sat up, she made quite the adorable picture. Small, with messy brown hair that was sticking up every which way. With froggy pyjamas and her bright blue eyes still hazy from her sleep. Not what you would expect of an eighteen year old woman.

"Awh! Yuri-chan is sooo cute!" Nene squeeled, hugging Yuriko tightly.

"You know there are other people in this house right…" The young girl groaned, knowing well what would happen within the next ten seconds.

The door swung open, revealing an equally tired Zero Kiryuu and of course in a flash Nene was gone. Zero was far too tired to notice. "What the fuck is going on in here?" He hissed, slurring some of his words.

"Oh~ We just came to give Yuriko her _birthday _wake up call~" Kumiko chimed, smiling brightly at the older boy. So _this _was what Kiryuu was like in the morning hm? There was no denying how…attractive he looked with bed hair but he needed to loose the attitude before he even registered on Kumiko's 'I'd so fuck him' list.

"…Zero I give you full permission to kill them…slowly…"

"Ugh…later…Look, just stop making so much fucking noise, its…seven in the morning and it's a fucking Saturday now shut up!" He yelled, slamming the door behind himself, stalking back down the hallway.

"Whatever, now. Yuri~ We're going to go to my dorm~ And myself and Nene, if we ever find her again, shall doll you up because we're having a girl's day out! The chairman gave us full permission!"

"Do…I haaave to?" Yuriko groaned in response. In all honesty she just wanted to spend her birthday in bed. And go shopping later…then again…she didn't like going to the town during or after sunset…all of those _things _came out at that time.

"Yes! Now lets go!"

…

After having her 'make-over', Yuriko, Nene and Kumiko made their way into town. Yuriko could feel stares on her and while the other two relished it all Yuriko felt herself flushing.

Kumiko had somehow managed to get Yuriko to wear a dress of sorts, it was dark purple in colour with a black ribbon around the front, luckily Yuriko convinced Kumiko to let her wear leggings under it with a cardigan over it.  
Oh how Yuriko hated wearing dresses or skirts without something underneath…

"By the way that outfit is only half your birthday present~" Kumiko trilled as she continued browsing through the various racks of clothes as Yuriko pretended to be interested.

"E-Eh?"  
"Mhm! Me and Nene are going to treat you to what ever you want. The limit is fourty thousand yen each." She grinned, her eyes shining at her friend.

"Awh shucks…" Yuriko said, putting on the goofiest smile she could manage. She really loved those two, and even though she could only trust them so much…they really were the most amazing friends she could ever ask for. Yes Nene was a cry baby, yes Kumiko could be a little over protective but she loved them all the same and she would be devastated without them.

After a while of shopping the trio took a rest stop near a public fountain. "Phew! Thanks you guys, I'm having a bloody ball!" Yuriko grinned, feeling like she could conquer the world. Honestly this was the best birthday she'd had since arriving here two…three years ago. She arrived here no more than a week after her birthday now that she re-called.

"Hee. No problem Yuri-chan!" Nene smiled sheepishly.

"And we're no where near done!" Kumiko laughed.

With the birthday money Yuriko got herself a mobile phone and a very nice one in her opinion. It was a small pink one. Which raised the question; why didn't she, Yuuki or Zero have mobile phones in this day and age? Almost everyone in the school had a mobile phone except for Yuriko, Yuuki and Zero. Which was so stupid in her opinion. If they were in trouble or something how would the rest of them know? Well at least Yuriko could call anyone else she wanted to now…she also had a good idea of what to get the other two prefects for their birthdays. Now, all she needed was a job to afford such gifts.

"Oh really…" Yuriko's brilliant smile dissolved into an expression of shock as her eyes landed on a certain someone she thought she wouldn't have seen so soon.

A head of silver hair caught her eyes. He had walked right past her! And she almost didn't notice at all!

"Sorry guys, I'll be a sec!" She said quickly, running after the head of silver hair at top speed. She had no idea why she was doing this, but she felt the need to…  
No mistake; it was Zero's still nameless sibling. Every time she asked for his name, Zero would change the subject or go totally silent. That or Yuuki would burst in…

He was carrying a single briefcase and was wearing a long dark trench coat; actually he was wearing the same thing he wore the night they fought.

"Stop!" She yelled tackling him to the ground on pure utter impulse, earning herself a bunch of scornful looks.

"Ow…jesus…christ who the…"

"And I'm not getting off you until you agree to stay with me for at least five minutes!" She blinked a few times, "…why did I tackle you…?"

"I don't fucking…ah, it's the little girl. How've you been?" He smirked, craning his neck to look back at her.

Yuriko's eyes widened, he was the spitting image of Zero. _Exactly _the same. Save for the fact his hair was longer and he had a lack of earrings and that tattoo. Well of course, they were twins! She thought.

"Well…are you going to get off me? Or would you rather I knock you out again?"

Yuriko scoffed, climbing off the silver haired boy. He brushed himself down.

The image…dear god he was the _image _of him! She really couldn't get over it. Zero had a twin brother!

"Hm?" He smirked, "Like what you see do you?"  
"In your fucking dreams! Ah…anyways! Uh…uh…oh shit…" She trailed off, unsure of why she wanted to talk to him.

"Well if you have nothing to say to me..."  
"No! Wait um...wh-whats your name?" She asked, grabbing onto his sleeve before he could make his getaway.

He gave her a sly look as he took Yuriko's hand, pressing to to his lips, "Ichiru Kiryuu. A pleasure to make your acquaintance..."

"Yu...Yuriko! My name is Yuriko!" She snatched her hand away from Ichiru, blushing wildly.

Ichiru smirked, "Something tells me your as innocent as you are beautiful."

"Far from it dear, far from it...well, in my head anyway..." She mumbled. Before she could speak again Ichiru had taken her hand, dragging her into a near-by alley. He didn't drag her too far in before pushing her against the wall.  
"Now...how pissed would my dear older brother be if he found out you were with me?"

Shit. Yuriko would be in such deep shit if Zero knew about this. No, she'd be at the mercy of Zero's icy temper...meaning he'd glare daggers at her from afar and completely ignore her. Worse than him blowing up at you in her opinion.

"Heh...from the look on your face I'd say he wouldn't be too happy."

"Oh and how would he ever find out?"

Bad idea number one. Ichiru pushed her against the wall even harder, pressing his body against hers, trapping her. She attempted to fight him but it was no good. She didn't like that smirk on his face, nor that glimmer in his eyes...although his eyes were really nice up close. "Wh-What the fuck are you-"  
Without warning Ichiru crashed his lips onto hers, pressing his body even closer. There was no way in hell Yuriko could fight him off, not with her crap upper body strength. She tried though, but that resulted in Ichiru pinning both her arms above her head.

"Can't have that now can we..." He smirked again.

"HE—Mmmph!" Her plea was cut off with another kiss.  
Was...was Ichiru going to rape her? Sure looked like it. Was he trying to get at his brother? Probably.

The silver haired male pulled away from her lips and made his way down to her neck. Yuriko knew what was coming next.  
"Don't you even- Mmm!" She bit on her lip, hard enough for it to bleed as Ichiru sucked on her neck, really hard too. The unfortunate part of all of this was that somewhere deep within Yuriko's mind she was enjoying this a little. Truth be said she had a little bit of masochism in her...

"Get...OFF!" Finally she realized that she had the ability to kick him off her. "You fucking bastard!" She growled, holding on to her neck as she blushed furiously.

He just laughed at her, "Its funny. Your body's more honest than you are, you liked that didn't you?"

Yuriko gritted her teeth and gave that arrogant twin a good hard slap across the face. "Go fuck yourself in a cold dark corner you stupid...!" She hissed, trying to think of an insult, "You stupid slimy...horrible..." She paused, "Peanut!"

With that she stalked off, leaving Ichiru in a fit of laughter.

How dare he! That was...that was her first kiss! Gone, out the window! That stupid Ichiru took it from her! She didn't like him in the slightest! He was a slimy, slimy man-whore! Or...at least that was what she thought. She shook her head. It wasn't like her to be so judgmental but he brought it on himself. He dragged her into an alley and lip raped her for gods sakes!

Yuriko soon realized that she was getting quite a bit of attention from passers by. _"Wow...its so obvious. She must really love him..."  
_Obvious? What was?

"Oh...no he didn't...!" She squeaked, looking at her reflection in the nearest shop window.

There, on the right side of her neck was a very obvious dark red mark. Otherwise known as a hickey.

"...I am in biiig trouble. Mhm."

...


	18. Overwhelmed

18. Overwhelmed

Oh but what could _possibly_ be worse than being yelled at by Zero Kiryuu? Being ignored by him. As in; Ignoring your total existence, glaring at you, not talking to you. It was so much worse than being yelled at...

It wasn't Yuriko's fault that she was pinned to the wall of an alley and given a hickey! Against her own will! It was humiliating, not even the shirt of her uniform covered it up and so far her day and been filled with stares, whispers and giggles.

"Hey, Yuriko."

She looked up to see a pair of day class girls, "Y-Yeah?" She was aware of what would happen next...  
"Who's the guy? Is it Kiryuu? Or maybe someone from the night class?" They asked vigorously.

"E-Eh? No way none of those people! Now leave me be!" She laughed nervously.

"Was he hot? Did he kiss you? Was he a-"  
"Dear sweet Jesus! Its none of your business so butt out!" Yuriko snapped, walking out of her seat over to where Yuuki was standing. "God…they won't leave me alone." She sighed, leaning against the wall near Yuuki.

"Well, nothing unusual normally happens in the day class. And I suppose there all shocked that you…uhm…"  
"Have a hickey, big whoop. It wasn't like I had a choice in the matter- Good morning Zero!" Yuriko chirped praying that he had forgiven her. The other evening hadn't gone well, Zero wasn't very happy that one, Yuriko didn't tell him what happened at first and two, wandered off with Ichiru. He went silent and hadn't talked to her in four days. It was agonizing but at the same time relieving, she couldn't face him after what she had seen. Speaking of what she had seen…

Did Yuuki finally realize how Zero felt? Or was she still playing blind with him? She didn't know but she would find out…whenever she was bothered to. Because she was feeling unusually lazy today for some odd reason. She just didn't feel like doing anything that required brain power.

Zero totally ignored the girl standing in front of him, he was still ticked off with her. And Yuriko had a feeling he would be ticked off with her until that mark on her neck was gone.

"Come with me, both of you."

As both Yuriko and Yuuki found out, the night class was to be seen off, just to make sure none of them decided to stay behind and Yuriko really couldn't see why they would. Everyone was going home for the holidays, day class students included. Of course, Yuriko, Yuuki and Zero had to stay behind because they lived there with the chairman.

"Yuriko."  
She looked around to see Shiki waving at her, to get her attention as it seemed. Not wanting to be ignored by Zero anymore she decided to venture over to Shiki and Rima whom was beside him with a Parasol. "You rang?"  
"Mm, are you okay now?" Shiki asked, she seemed pretty upset as of late. And he still didn't know why.

"Ah- I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" She grinned. Shiki simply sighed and dismissed the thought. She was just doing her thing again. He knew better than to force her to talk about it.

"Eh…Yuriko I didn't think you'd be that type." Rima noted, a tiny smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she finally saw that red mark on her neck. That was not from a vampire bite, she knew that much.  
"What type are we talking about here…?"  
"Ah. I see it too." Shiki added.  
Yuriko flushed bright red, "I-It wasn't my fault! I was pinned to a wall! I swearziez!" She exclaimed becoming redder by the second.

Both Shiki and Rima looked at each other, shrugged and began to walk off. "See ya..try .take care of yourself while we're gone." Rima said. Yuriko scowled at them both, but broke into a smile. "Bye-bye." She sighed, turning around as she waved at them.

"Ahhh! Big news! Big news!" The chairman yelled as he dashed towards Yuuki, almost ramming into the poor girl.

"Maria Kurenai-chan has awoken!"

...

As Zero stepped into the room where Maria had been for the past two weeks, she ran over to him her eyes bright and her smile wide, "Ah! There you are! Ichiru-chan!" She exclaimed, running over and hugging Zero, whom looked quite confused right now.  
"Uh…sweetie that's-"  
"You lied chairman! Ichiru-chan that person is so mean! He told me that Shizuka-sama was dead…" Maria trailed off as she began to realize that the person in front of her was not her beloved Ichiru. "Wait…your not…are you Zero…kun…?" She mumbled as her vision went blurry for a moment. The young vampire collapsed, "Maria-san!" Yuuki exclaimed, catching the girl before she could fall to the floor.  
"…If Shizuka-sama really met up with you…then she truly must be dead…"

After Yuuki had gotten Maria to sit back down, the small noble began talking about 'Shizuka-sama' from what she had been going on about Yuriko gathered that Shizuka took over Maria's body as a means to torment Zero. But the story about how her lover had been killed by Zero's parents took her a little by surprise. She thought that Shizuka was just a crazy pureblood who randomly decided to attack Zero's family because of their position in the hunter's society. And in all honesty...Yuriko kind of sympathised with her.

The only person whom she showed love to had been taken away from her, of course she was going to go insane and attack the people who did so. But still…she didn't need to put Zero through the torture of becoming a vampire. Then again...if someone had ever tried to kill Zero she was sure she'd do the same thing if she had the power.

"Zero-kun! Even if you killed Shziuka-sama I don't think she regretted doing anything!" Maria exclaimed, running over to Zero, her balance wavering for a moment.

"Ah! Maria-chan, calm down. You can't stress your body you just woke up. You should rest." The chairman advised guiding the small vampire back to her bed, while telling the three prefects to leave Maria to rest. Yuriko did as she was told but Zero stayed back for a little bit longer for whatever reason. But soon he joined the other two girls.

"…Love…huh…" Yuuki mused to herself.

Yuriko could have said the same thing really, the things such an emotion could lead you to do.

"I have the chairman, Kaname-senpai, Zero and Yuriko…and Yori-chan…I'm very lucky…I used to wonder that, maybe my parents disowned me…leaving such a small child in a big snow storm like that…"

"…Yuuki." As far as Yuriko's knowledge went Yuuki had no knowledge of herself before she was five. It must have been scary for her, not knowing who her parents were, or anything like that. Yuriko herself had no idea who her birth father was. Her mother kept that a secret, she refused to give his name but she spoke fondly of him...although from time to time she'd get a bit bitter. She would always mumble things about not wanting Yuriko and Yumiko 'to walk down such a bloody path' and it always scared her. She didn't _want _to know who her father was...but for Yuuki it was different. She must want to know about her past, Yuriko knew she would.

"Sorry! Forget that! I don't really feel attached to them!" Yuuki laughed, trying to brush the subject off, but then she made the mistake of adding, "I don't even remember them or anything about my self so-"  
"You don't have to pretend to be fine, in front of us…" Zero stated, cutting her off, "Kaname Kuran was always there to support you but, there are times when you were afraid of what you couldn't remember right?"

Yuuki looked down, it was the solid truth. Even now she was a bit scared of what she couldn't remember.

"Hey…if…I become a vampire, do you think my heart will be stronger too?"

In that brief moment, Yuriko almost slapped Yuuki across the face but she resisted with great effort, clenching her fist by her side, staring at her in shock. What in the name of god possessed Yuuki to ask Zero a question like that and think that he would be alright with it? The answer she would get was all to obvious, but still Yuuki kept going.  
"Kaname-senpai asked if I wanted to become a vampire…all I could say was 'yes'…"  
At this point Zero's eyes were wide with shock and horror while Yuriko was clenching her fist hard enough for it to hurt, she needed to shut Yuuki up. _Now._ Didn't she realize that what she was saying was hurting Zero? How could she be so damn blind?  
"But really, Kaname-senpai wasn't at all serious about it so-"  
"But you thought it would be okay to become a vampire right…? I will never let you turn into something like that. Even if it means I have to make Kaname Kuran my enemy, and even if that will make you hate me." Zero said sharply, as he turned away from Yuuki to go patrol somewhere else to settle his suddenly restless nerves.

"Yuuki…I do love you as my darling sister but…What in the hell was that? Did you just seriously ask Zero, who's been through a hell of a lot of torture by becoming a vampire, 'is it okay if I become a vampire'? What the fuck?" Yuriko screamed, she wasn't thinking straight right now. All she could think of was the look of pain on Zero's face when Yuuki said all of that. It upset her, and it almost made her…hate Yuuki. "Do you know how much you've hurt him? Even though he cares about you so much you just…-" Yuriko cut herself off, taking a deep breath, running a hand through her short hair. "Sorry...I'm sorry..."

"I-its okay...it was a stupid thing for me to do. But..."

"Look. Just don't say things like that around him. You know how much he hates vampires...and how much he hates being one himself. Of course he'll be deeply hurt if you became a vampire. Its not all rainbows and butterflies Yuuki, it probably hurts and there's probably a lot more to being a vampire than just wanting blood and not liking the sun."

Yuuki nodded, "Yeah...your probably right..."

Yuriko wrapped her arms around Yuuki, petting the girl's hair, "Yuuki…at times things are better left forgotten. I mean, someone must have intentionally erased your memories…so they must have had a good reason to do so. So just live life for now, and I know its going to be hard but like you said; you've got me, the chairman, Zero, Sayori and Kuran-senpai. You'll be okay."

Regardless of what she said Yuuki started crying, "I'm so stupid...!"

"You're not stupid...your just innocent..." It had been a long time since Yuriko had felt like this. She really felt some kind of sister-like instinct to try and comfort Yuuki. She reminded her so much of Yumiko...her innocence, her fragility. She needed someone to take care of her and point her in the right direction.  
"Its okay Yuuki...its okay..."

…

As Yuriko walked through the grounds of Cross Academy, she found herself gaining another even more unwanted feeling, towards Yuuki. She couldn't understand how oblivious Yuuki could be sometimes, she was always hurting Zero and what she had said back there was so damn stupid of her…and the look on Zero's face…

"_We hate Yuuki…"_

Yuriko gasped suddenly. No…she didn't…she couldn't…!

"_Yuuki is why Zero can not see us…he's too busy looking after Yuuki to even acknowledge we exist..."_

"Shut up…!"

From a distance, it would look like Yuriko was totally insane. But in her mind that 'other her' was playing up. She'd never heard voices before...but sometimes when she was emotionally stressed it would happen. This was the only way she could work, she couldn't let herself…well be herself. If she were her true self she would be the most pathetic thing ever and so she pretended. But sometimes…in her head, that person would appear, a younger version of herself, talking to her. Confusing her even more than she already was.

"_Yuuki is what distresses Zero, she is what worries him most, and she does it on purpose."_

"Stop! That's not true!"  
_"Yuuki does not want us to care for Zero, because if Yuuki can not care for Zero she thinks of her past and becomes frightened. So she blinds us to Zero's eyes."_

"Shut up! Just shut up! Leave me alone-"  
"…Yuriko?"

She whipped around, "A-Ah…Zero, a-aren't you supposed to be patrolling?"

Zero's eyebrows furrowed, Her hands were shaking and she was a lot paler than she normally was, "Whats wrong? You were yelling a few seconds ago. Don't tell me your hearing voices."

For an instant her eyes widened in shock before she laughed, her voice breaking a little as she spoke, "Don't be stupid! I'm not _that _messed up!"

Zero could do nothing but stare at her as his eyebrows knotted even further in confusion...was she seriously hearing things? She must have been, she'd been yelling really loudly. That was why Zero came to check on her, he'd thought maybe someone was harassing her or something since she was telling them to 'shut up'.

"W-Well...later! Go check on Yuuki for me, she seemed kind of upset earlier!" She attempted to run away but Zero caught her wrist before she could run.  
"Yuriko if there's something wrong talk to me." Yuriko tried fight against Zero's grip, now he _knew _something was seriously wrong. "I-I'm fine Zero. Let me go!"

He didn't let go, he started tugging her towards him. "No! S-Stop it! I'm fine!"

She fought against him as hard as she could, the pain in her chest just kept swelling. "No...! You can't! Just leave me alone!" Zero's strength wavered for a second as something cold and wet hit his face, that was when Yuriko wrenched her wrist away and ran for it.  
"Yuri-" He was cut off as the rain came down on him heavy, "Shit...! It had to fucking rain now didn't it?" He growled, looking for somewhere to sit the rain out.

Yuriko on the other hand was trying to run as far away from Zero as possible. He was so close to finding out how messed up she really was...she needed to be more careful about this.

In the end Yuriko ran all the way back to the dorms, completely soaked to the skin. Iwasawa was sleeping of course. Yuriko grabbed her towels and decided to have a shower, maybe that would help to calm her down.

But as she stepped under the spray she felt her emotions overwhelming her. "...fuck...!" She whimpered as the tears spilled out of her eyes. "Fuck...! Godamn it!"

When did she become so emotionally stressed? She'd never heard...well at one stage she had heard that voice before. But she thought it had long gone away when she got 'better'...or maybe she wasn't 'better' at all...

"Damn it!"

...

...

...

Yuriko opened her eyes sluggishly, "For the love of…Wake up!"

"…Heeeellloo there…" She mumbled, grinning up at the all to frustrated silver haired male.

"Jesus Yuriko! Get up! We're going out!"  
"…diid I ever mention how sexy you look in that tight black top you wore last- …Going oout…?" She hummed, her senses finally coming back to her, along with the rush of heat to her face having stated something she had been thinking for a while now…

Last week Zero had been wearing a tight fitting black top, really tight fitting, and his jeans were pretty tight as well. All in all poor Yuriko's imagination ran wild with all those lovely vivid fantasies all day long, causing her a lot of frustration.

"Yeah. Now get up and get dressed!" Zero hissed, before he could leave the room Yuriko grabbed his top, "Waaait! What about breakfast-"  
"Well its your own fault for being such a lazy ass!" He snapped, causing Yuriko to let out a long exaggerated moan. "Let go!"  
"But Onii-chaaaaan!"

"What have I told you about calling me that?"

"Not to…But Oniiiii-taaaaan~"

Zero ripped Yuriko's hand from his top and slammed the door behind him, and now he was an even worse mood than before. He'd forgotten how bad Yuriko could be in the morning. And he'd forgotten how relived he was that he no longer had to share a dorm with her.

After about an age, Yuriko was dressed and ready to go…well…almost. She was still dazed from her sleep a little bit. And the whole way down she complained about how she didn't even get a nice cup of tea.  
Forget Yuriko's tea, Zero still hadn't had his morning coffee. He normally needed two or sometimes four to get him going in the morning, it was either that or a nice hot shower and he had neither this morning. But honestly, he didn't care about his morning habits nor Yuriko's. Yuuki was what was worrying him now. After what she'd told him last night...When she tried to remember her past she had gotten frightened or something…he didn't know. But all he did know was that there may have been some kind of record of Yuuki's past in the vampire association archives.

But of course the incident from a few days ago with Yuriko was still on his mind. She'd been hearing voices...but between the two Zero somehow felt it was best to deal with Yuuki's problems first, then Yuriko's.

"Yuuki, Yuriko, this is the main headquarters of the hunter's association." The chairman informed the two marveling girls.

Personally, Yuriko never expected the place to be so damn big. The whole town was occupied with vampire hunters and to be honest she felt a bit out of place, and the fact everyone was staring in her direction didn't help.

"Its me their staring at, don't worry." Zero sighed, causing the two girls to get a bit skeptic of the place.

"Don't take it personally its just this kind of place, girls."

"Hmm…theres a ward placed at the entrance of building to repel vampires but…If you were able to come in that means you've been tamed then…"

Yuriko looked around to see a middle aged man, no not middle aged, he was pretty old. And he was mocking Zero as well.

"…Ahh…there's your brand…" He sneered.

"Hey! There's no need to fucking pick on him just because he's vampire, its not his bloody fault! Leave him be!" Yuriko snapped, "Y-Yeah!" Yuuki said, Yuriko pretty much took the words out of her mouth anyway…minus the cursing.

"Ah…so one of you brats are the master I presume? Jesus…I wonder if that's a good idea…"  
"B-Brat! Did you just call me a brat! I'll have you know that I'm an adult! I was eighteen last week!" Yuriko yelled animatedly throwing her hands in the air, causing Zero to snigger to himself.

"That should be enough right there, Zero is our respected ally. He was born to the Kiryuu family, a family superior even among the hunters and with the powers of a vampire. He is to become an even more dependable ally."

Yuriko looked around, some kind of…man…lady person had just appeared. And the first thing Yuriko noticed was the fact that he…she…whatever it was had tiny eyebrows. Tiiiny. She squinted for a while before he…bent down, "And is this your girlfriend?"  
"Beg your pardon?" Yuriko yelped, her face getting hot.

"No. We're here to see the reports from ten years ago…" He stated, but the fact he was so blunt about it…for some reason it made Yuriko feel a little down.

"Yuriko, you okay?" Yuuki asked, noticing Yuriko's change in demeanor.

"…Yuriko? Miss Yuriko Mulligan?" The association head said thoughtfully, staring at the small brown haired girl.

"U-Uh...yeah?"

"Ah, what luck. You wouldn't mind if we were to question her, would you Cross-kun?"

Yuriko blinked a few times, question her? About what? The pair started mumbling quietly and Yuriko suddenly felt Zero hold her shoulder, "Eh…?"  
"Their going to ask you about that time…two years ago. They still only have a very vague record of it. Your the only witness." He started. "Hunters need a detailed account of any unusual incidents, like yours. Yagari-sensei probably only knew so much...its unlikely there was any evidence either. So your their prime source of information." He explained, looking down at the small girl.

Yuriko's eyes widened, "…I don't…want to…" She mumbled. Even though it had been two years, she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She didn't think she would ever have to talk about it...but it seemed like now she had to.

Zero looked down at Yuriko, he knew it was a mistake bringing her here with them. He knew there was a possibility that they may ask her about that time, if only he had told Yuuki not to mention Yuriko's name in any way shape or form...maybe this could have been avoided.

"Yuriko. Come with me for a moment." The head said with a smile on his lips, noting the fact that Zero was still holding Yuriko's shoulder.

"She doesn't have to go if she doesn't want to."  
This was the very least Zero could do…for what he did to Yuriko. Not only taking her blood, but breaking her heart as well. He felt guilty for that. After giving him her blood three times…and the fact that she would give him more blood because of what she felt towards him, it was more than enough to owe his life to her. But not only her but Yuuki too. She was willing to keep him alive and for that he owed his life to both of them.

"On the contrary Kiryuu-kun, this is an important record which may hold a clue. It could be that what happened to Yuriko-san was not a mere accident."

"How could there be a clue? Her family was murdered by a level E lusting for blood and-"  
"And that level E could have been set loose on her family for a reason. Kiryuu-kun. You should know better than to talk back to your superiors."

"I'm sorry! I'm just not ready to be questioned on that yet." Yuriko spoke up before Zero could. From the look on tiny-eyebrows-man's face Zero was on his way to getting himself in a lot of trouble.

The head scoffed, "Well then...perhaps another time."

...

Yuriko's mind wandered while Yuuki was busy looking at reports from ten years ago for her missing past. Zero was taken somewhere with the association head, and the chairman was busy helping Yuuki so Yuriko just sat down and mused for a while.

She looked behind her to see Zero walking into a dim room with a heavy door. Where on earth was he taking the poor boy. No…what puzzled her even more right now was why did Zero stand up for her?

_Friend. _He had called her his friend, but sure what else could he call her? Still Yuriko felt a little happy that Zero had said that out loud. They were still friends…she sank happily into her chair, feeling a little better now.

Yuriko bliss didn't last too long though. She heard Yuuki scream, she jumped up and rushed over to the girl.

"Yuuki what...w-what the…?" She breathed…there was a book open on the table, on fire. But it wasn't the whole book that was on fire...just a few pages.

Moments later Zero appeared, his reaction was the same. "…The pages about the winter ten years ago…suddenly…"  
Yuuki was in shock…no one could blame her. She was so close to learning her past, and then all of a sudden this happened. Was...was someone trying to prevent her from remembering her past?

'…_at times things are better left forgotten'_

…

…

…


	19. Voices

19. Voices

Yuriko was totally and utterly bored by this point in time.

She sat there trying to chew her gum as discreetly as possible, she had a sudden urge for something minty so she ended up buying a packet of chewing gum and a small packet of polo mints with what little money she had found on her bedroom floor this morning.

She also found herself wondered how Takuma was doing. I mean, he was one of her best friends probably one of the only ones she properly opened up to as well. They had been friends for a long time now. He was always there for her and considering all those duties he had it wasn't easy for him either. Well...Yuriko was there for him too…if he ever needed her. He should be back at this stage, however he called saying that he would be a little while. Oh well Yuriko would just have to wait for a while before she could finally get her manga back from him.

The teacher suddenly walked in, a happy expression on her face. Then again, it was Yuriko's all time favourite Miss Tomomi. She was hardly ever seen without a smile plastered on that lovely face of hers. Not only was she a great teacher but she was funny as well, natural wit. Yuriko could somehow see herself being like Tomomi when she was older.

"Now as much as I would love to start class, I have something important to say." She hummed, glancing out the door. "Oh shush boys and girls! You'll scare him!"  
That caught Yuriko's attention, a new student? Why wasn't she told? Oh crap…that was why the chairman had wanted her. "Hauu…" She mumbled to herself, looking at her feet. But the chairman's office was all the way on the other side of the school...and the new student had gotten here just fine...so no harm done right? She'd just attend to his or her needs later.

"Now then, an introduction would be lovely."  
Yuriko's mouth dropped to the floor, "…wha…why…why…?" She mumbled to herself, causing Kumiko (whom was sitting next to her) quite some confusion.

"Hello. Starting this semester, I'm going to be a new student here. Due to various circumstances I ended up living separately from my twin brother, I'm the younger twin Ichiru Kiryuu. Please to meet you."

Yuriko stared at him with her mouth slightly ajar, "What…did I ever do to deserve this…?"

Suddenly Yuuki popped up from nowhere, "Ah-!"  
"Oh how nice of you to join us miss Cross!" Tomomi trilled clasping her hands together, "Now then, Yuriko is in charge of new students as far as I know so, miss Fujisaki I'm afraid your going to have to sit next to…someone else for now, just until Kiryuu numero dos gets his bearings." She added with a grin, it was quite obvious that Yuriko was her favourite student...it was a shame she couldn't teach her Spanish too.

Ichiru smiled at Yuriko a dangerous glint all but dancing in his eyes. Nothing…he was nothing like Zero at all, she thought foully. He strode up towards her and just as she started to scoot over he whispered something, "It seems Zero's taste in women has gone bad…to think he chose that other whore over you, its appalling…" She paused and stared at him blankly. "Wha…?" She breathed, giving Ichiru a confused look as he sat beside her. He just winked at her, resting his head on one hand as Miss Tomomi began the class.

Yuriko just scowled and put her head down on her desk. It was English so Yuriko didn't really have to pay attention at all, so she could sleep if she wanted to but now thanks to Ichiru she was far too irritated to do so…She folded her arms on the desk and rested on them, thinking.

There was a _small_ possibility that Ichiru wasn't what he seemed, maybe she should try and be nice to him. But he was only getting one chance, just one. If he tried lip raping her again that was it, she just wasn't going to bother any more. And on a side note…did he call Yuuki a whore? The cheek of him! How dare he call Yuuki that. She was far from it! Then again she was leading both Kaname and Zero on...No! No! She wasn't! Was she?

Yuriko debated with herself for a few more minutes and just shoved that subject aside, turning her thoughts back to Ichiru. Why was he here? Revenge obviously. It was entirely possible he thought (much like the rest of the vampires as well as the hunters) that Zero was the one who killed Shizuka. But from what Yuuki had told Yuriko there was no way that could have been the case. Between the fight with Ichiru and Yuuki trying to keep him from killing Shizuka he wouldn't couldn't have. Someone else did it. But if he did know that...then why would he be here?  
Yep. Chances were he was here to kick Zero's ass.

Yuriko jumped out of her skin as the sound of the bell suddenly rang out. "Jesus..." She hissed.

Within moments of miss Tomomi leaving the girls had all but surrounded Ichiru. They were giving Ichiru quite a bit of attention, and he was loving it. The class rep. had decided to join in as well. So Ichiru liked having his ego stroked. But of course...who didn't?

"Yuri...we have music club today."

It took the small girl a few seconds to process what Kumiko had said, "Oh yeah...can you tell miss Ozaki that I can't make it for me? I have a certain someone to take care of..." She growled, shooting Ichiru yet another glare as he continued to lavish in the attention he was receiving.

"Hmm...you haven't been attending as much as you used to..." She sighed, "Playing our song with just me playing the violin isn't half as good, you on the piano practically makes the song."

"Sorry Kumiko...I've just...not been feeling up to it lately..." She admitted with a quick smile as she hopped over the bench to gain access to that silver haired shit.

But as soon as she looked around she noticed that Yuuki had already taken him somewhere. "What the fuck is she doing...?" She mumbled, walking quickly after her.

_"Well look at that…she's trying to get Ichiru alone to talk to him. What an idiot, doesn't she know that Ichiru could very well be the bad guy? She's making Zero worry isn't she."_

Yuriko gasped as the voice came into her head. This had never happened before, she always heard the voice when she was alone. Never…never had it ever appeared when she was in school like this...

"Deep breaths..." She whispered to herself.

_"She's trying to get his attention..."_

"Shut up...!" She hissed, glancing around. There weren't too many people on the corridors but already there were two people giving her funny looks.

Yuriko continued walking on, pretending that she couldn't hear it even as it continued to make accusations. She didn't care where she was going anymore, whether she was heading towards Yuuki and Ichiru or not was far from her mind. She just wanted to find somewhere where she could calm herself down.

Her breathing had become rapid and shallow, while her hands were clenched into fists and were all but trembling by her side.  
She yelped again; there standing right before her was a smaller, younger version of herself. Her hair was cascading down to her waist and she was wearing exactly what she wore the first night she stayed with Cross. Blood splatters, tears and all.

"Now I know I'm nuts..." She whispered.

Luckily for her there was no one on this corridor at the moment, but someone was bound to show up.

_"__Its all her fault__…__look at her. She runs around chasing after Kaname, literally confessing her love to Zero__'__s face__…__and Zero loves her so much. She hurts him again, and again...and again..."_

All Yuriko could do was back up into a wall, her breathing becoming more and more rapid as her whole body started trembling.

"Ah...you."  
"Shut up!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, covering her ears, completely unaware of who said that. She looked up, the illusion was gone and in its place stood the very being she _didn't _want to see.

"Are...you alright?" All he did was say 'ah...you' there was no need for her to scream like that. But from the way she looked at the moment...there was a completely as to why she had screamed as she did.

"Get out of my sight Ichiru..." She said blankly.

"I'm afraid I'll get lost though...I don't know my way around you see-"  
"Just get out of my fucking sight before I kill you!"

Ichiru barely flinched. "Tsk, tsk...I think your spending too much time with my brother. You'd be awfully scary..." He began sarcastically, "If it wasn't for the fact that your as pale as a ghost, your whole body is trembling and your breathing is pretty heavy." He stated.

"Just...leave me alone...like everyone else has..." She whispered, her voice breaking.

Ichiru recognized that look far too well by now. It was the look he had, and the one Shizuka-sama once had...

Without a word he placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in to kiss her, "It seems as though you've got nowhere to go either..." He said softly.

Yuriko stared at the silver haired boy completely confused. She didn't know whether to slap him upside in the head or say something back to him. The look in his eyes had changed from a mischievous sly bastard to that of sympathy. No not sympathy...he felt sorry for her.

"I don't need your pity..." She muttered, looking away from him. People always pitied her, it was so annoying. They were belittling her, 'poor Yuriko lost her family and is stuck in Japan'. No one understood, they just felt sorry for her...it was always pity when it came to Yuriko.

"I don't pity you, I empathize with you-" Before he could continue he was pulled away from her.  
"Z-Zero! What the fuck—"  
"Ichiru." He snarled.

"Zero." His brother replied, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Yuriko!" Yuriko chirped, trying to hide her pain through humor. The twins looked at her, "W-What I felt left out..." She trailed. _"Twins...like me and Yumiko..."_

Her heart skipped a beat but she continued looking like a hyperactive idiot, that voice kept speaking to her even as the pair argued.

"What were you doing?" Zero hissed, holding onto his younger brother's upper arm tightly, but not tight enough to hurt him.

"I was only talking to her _onii-chan._" He trilled, feeling only mildly irritated that he didn't get to finish what he wanted to say to that girl, "So if you wouldn't mind letting me go."  
"Like hell you were talking to her! You were close enough to-"  
"Kiss her? Oh come on Zero, I thought you liked that Cross girl, not..." Ichiru trailed off, damn it what was her name again? Ah he'd heard it a few minutes ago and all!  
Zero's grip tightened, "If you so much as even _touch _Yuriko, I'll kill you."

"Too late onii-chan."

Just as Zero was about to throw Ichiru across the hall Yuriko broke into a sprint, yelping as she did so. "Yuriko-"  
"I see you've left her all alone, Zero."

Zero looked back, "What are you talking about?"

"That's exactly what I mean. You can't even see her can you?" He yawned. He hadn't been sleeping well at all. But then again he never did.

Zero had a wavering sense of déjà vu and then it hit him; Kumiko said that to him before. He stood there for a few seconds with a pensive look on his face.

"Whatever...I'm going to explore the school." Ichiru sighed heavily, walking away from his brother.  
Zero simply glared at him in frustration. What the hell did he mean by that?

...

She needed to get out of here, as she ran through the corridor, all the students were giving her concerned and confused looks. She knew that she looked like she was in some kind of a panic and she didn't really give a damn right now either. It was as if the voice was echoing now, each word over lapping with the next, giving her the worlds worst headache. The roof, no one went up on the roof. And only prefects had the key to that door anyway. She bumped into someone on the way up to the roof but she kept on running up the staircase; whoever it was shouldn't be there but again she really couldn't care.  
She had some difficulty with unlocking the door but she eventually managed it and bolted out to the roof without closing the door.

She slid down the near by wall, covering her ears, it only made the voice worse.  
She tried deep breathing again but it wasn't working. Eventually she started rocking back and forward, crying to herself in fear. "Its in my head...its only in my head..."

_"Am I sure…?"_

Yuriko looked up and there it was again. She stood up and gasped, running away from herself again. She spun around to face the specter, "Get away!"  
_"__Its my fault their dead...its all my fault..."_

"Shut up! That's not…true…! I couldn't have done anything...!" Yuriko gasped, backing away from the ghost that only she could see.

_"I should have been there...I should have died too..."_

"What…Ugh! You don't exist just go away!" She snapped, as she continued backing up until she reached the edge of the roof top. She didn't move, her heels were right at the ledge. All it would take was a sudden wobble to get her to fall off…

The ghost came closer, i_"I'll never get better...because no matter what happens, no matter where I go...I will always be alone. I have no one I can trust...Takuma isn't here anymore...Zero doesn't care...Yuuki doesn't care...Kaien doesn't care...no one cares about me any longer..."_

"That's not true! S-Shut up…" Yuriko had her fists clenched. She believed that. Everything that thing said...it was the pure truth. She truly believed no one cared for her any more...

_"__I'd be better off dead...!" _It screamed through tears.

Yuriko took a step back and cried out in pure terror. That was when she lost her balance, she tried to regain it only to have her foot slip off the ledge. Her heart lurched and she let out a scream as her body was pulled down by gravity.


	20. Collapse

20. Collapse

"_I'm...better off like this..."_

She closed her eyes and just as she felt the pull of gravity as she fell something caught one of her wrists firmly, "Shit…shit…!"  
Yuriko looked up at the silver haired male almost in shock that he was holding on to her. Trying to saving her. He was supposed to be the bad guy wasn't he?

"I-I-Ichi…ru…?"

Out of curiosity he followed Yuriko onto the roof after she'd ran into him. The minute he walked onto the roof top he saw her almost fall, if he hadn't have caught her she would be dead by now. Why he decided to save her he had no idea but his mind was rushing by now, if his grip on her loosened any more then her death would be his fault. He would forever be haunted by the fact he didn't save her...like with Shizuka-sama.

"Don't…just look at me in shock! Pull yourself up!" He grunted, she wasn't that heavy and he could probably do it himself if he had hold of both of her wrists but if he grabbed the other he might fall, his balance was never great anyway...

"…c-can't…!" She whimpered back, she was frightened. Heck, she was almost eight stories above the ground no one could blame her.

"…I've got you…! Just…"

She couldn't pull herself up if he held onto just one of her wrists...

"Grab my other hand and pull your self up quickly!" He snapped, holding out his other hand, making sure he was balanced enough.

Yuriko did as she was told, she grabbed onto his other hand and used her legs to push herself up, holding on to Ichiru's hands as he pulled her up over that edge.

He fell backwards, ending up pulling her on top of him. Ichiru panted loudly, his heartbeat was ringing in his ears. That was one of the most terrifying things he had ever done. She was moments away from dying, and her life was in his hands; literally.

Ichiru wasn't sure if he should just shove her off of him or actually be concerned at all, for one thing what made her slip off the roof in the first place? None of that was his business...but he wondered.

Then it occurred to him that they were positioned could be misinterpreted if someone were to come up now. Also considering the fact Yuriko was shaking like a leaf and had recently screamed the campus down...

"…You may want to get off me, unless you want people to accuse me of sexually harassing you."  
Yuriko laughed weakly, "You've already done that to me twice." She said carefully getting off Ichiru, and standing back up.

"Heh…I could have done much worse to you."  
Yuriko didn't reply but instead sat down, she felt dizzy and her heart was beating so quickly. She was still scared, "I…" She whimpered unable to continue aloud, _"I wanted to die..."_ She really couldn't help but cry, hugging her knees up to her chest, burying her face in them.

"I know this will sound cruel but I have to go, if Zero catches me up here with you, he'll think I pushed you off." Ichiru stated, shoving a hand in his pocket. Unaware that Yuriko was crying until he turned to look at her. Pity swelled in his chest, she was curled up, crying her eyes out silently. But he really should leave…however last he saw Zero was busy with Yuuki...

"Your alright now. Your alive, that's all that matters." He said, trying his best to stop her from crying as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"No...! I saw it...and it said...! And I…slipped…!" She whimpered, shaking violently as she continued whimpering half sentences.

"Calm down…-"

Suddenly Yuriko just decided to bury her face in his chest, sobbing frantically, mumbling incoherent apologies and pleas in what Ichiru recognized to be English. He really had no idea what he should have done, so he just put his arms around her, petting her hair. If Zero came up right now he'd be so dead.

It was clear all she wanted was comfort right now, Ichiru was the only person here which was why she must have suddenly turned to him. So many times he'd felt like that...

"…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…I-Its not my fault…that I'm the only one that survived…! I should have…I didn't survive because I wanted to…!"

...

Takuma couldn't believe what was unfolding before him…

He sat on the window sill in his own room, which was now two floors above his…he wasn't Shiki anymore…who was he? And all this time, that was why Kaname had been so close to Yuuki. Sooner or later she would awaken…and how would Yuriko react to that?

He had missed her quite a lot and was constantly worried about her. She didn't know this but from the shadows he made sure that Yuriko was alright. Making sure that he should be there when she needed him. He knew how mentally unstable she was, it was clear to him, no matter how much she tried to hide it from him he knew. But he pretended not to. For her sake…how would she react if she knew that he knew.

As of late, it looked like she was getting more and more insecure. And the fact that he wouldn't be back until…well…he didn't know when, it really made him fret. He really didn't know how much he tried to look after Yuriko until he left her, he knew something bad would happen to her. He just hoped that he would be there on time before she broke down.  
So many times he had stopped her from getting to that point, she didn't know at all. Because he erased her memories all those times she broke down in front of him, the memories of even doing so. Each time he couldn't stand it…she would mutter on and on about how she didn't want to survive, how it wasn't her fault she lived on…if only she'd died too. All Takuma could do was put her to sleep and erase her memories of her ever breaking down in front of him. What else could he have done? (Besides Kaname ordered him to do that every time she'd broken down too.) She wouldn't be the same now if he didn't do that. All he wanted for her was just to smile from her heart for once. These thoughts were ones that repeated in his mind over and over again. They were non-stop.  
The one thing that was driving him crazy right now was the fact that, even though she tried not to realize it, Yuriko was suicidal. She'd sob in his arms, telling him she'd be better off dead, that no one cared about her here. Over and over he had to tell her that he cared about her, listing off whoever else she knew that cared for her...but lately she'd mention how Zero and Yuuki didn't speak to her as often as they used to, this could have a disastrous knock on effect.

"Takuma-sama. The master has called for you."

He looked up, "Ah. Yes, I'm on my way."  
The maid nodded once and left.  
Takuma left his room and made his way to his grandfather's office. He couldn't concentrate anymore, not with how worried he was…just what was happening to her right now?

...

"Stay! Down girls down! Ugh…! Stop fucking pushing!" Yuriko grunted, taking out her emotional frustration on the fan girls.

She couldn't believe she had a mental breakdown _in Ichiru Kiryuu's arms. _All she could do was pray he didn't understand English. If he did well...she just didn't even want to think about that. She cried her heart out, sobbing about her true feelings...about how she'd actually _wanted _to fall off that roof.

She really didn't know why he saved her from falling in the first place but she blamed instinct maybe. If she saw someone about to fall off an eight story high building, she'd automatically run to grab them too.

"Yuriko…I heard you scream. But when I went up you weren't there, did something happen?"  
Yuriko looked around to see Zero standing next to her, for some reason she wanted to blurt; _"Oh no, nothing Zero dear. I just almost died by falling of the fucking school building while you were canoodling with Yuuki again." _But she wouldn't take out her anger on him.

A wisp of silver hair caught Yuriko's eye and it wasn't Zero, it was Ichiru. His eyes caught hers and he smiled at her before walking away. She couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat.

"What was that?" Zero demanded.  
"Wh-What was what?" She said, her voice half breaking.

"That smile Ichiru gave you."

"Oh god, he smiled at me...god do you always have to be such a drama queen-"  
"But your heart beat sped up as well."

Shit.

"What? He has a nice smile!"  
Zero gave her a look...a look she couldn't name, "It doesn't matter if Ichiru's identical to me...he's not me Yuriko."

"Ah...w-what? No! Its not like that! I know he's not you!"

Zero gave her that look again before turning away from her.

She knew well that Ichiru was Ichiru and Zero was Zero. They had differences. Like Ichiru was an attention seeking asshole that seemed to have mood swings. Zero was an asshole with a bad temper but was secretly a softy underneath it all. Surely Ichiru had a good quality about him too...

...

"_Now what…?"_

"…I'll just go talk to Ichiru. Zero'll be busy with Yuuki again…I need to thank him for earlier..." Yuriko said, once again seeing that ghost. She didn't care anymore, if she was going to see a hallucination then so be it. She would talk back to it, who else could she talk to now anyway?

"_Why Ichiru?"_

"Because…he saved me, I owe him one…I owe him our life now…stupid…dick face has a heart after all..."

"_But do not forget. He is here for revenge on Zero for killing Shizuka…he still thinks Zero killed her."_

Yuriko knocked gently on Ichiru's dorm room door. He didn't have a room mate, so Yuriko didn't have to worry about what she spoke of around him. And the dorm leader had a soft spot for Yuriko so she didn't need to worry about getting in trouble for this either.

Ichiru snapped the door open, a bit pissed off at whoever it was knocked while he was getting changed. At least they knocked.

"Oh, what are you doing here?" He rushed, looking around, he was a little embarrassed to be in nothing but his school trousers. No shirt, no thin tee-shirt. Just his trousers. Nothing else.

"I…I…I-I need to talk t-to you..." Yuriko managed. Why were both twins so very attractive in their own way?

He was standing there in his school trousers that hung to the hips of his perfectly sculpted body. He had a different muscle build to Zero, she noticed. He was lean though well defined while Zero was on his way to being less thin and more muscular which Yuriko didn't mind but if she had to choose between the two based on build...

"Hm…? Like what you see, do you?" Ichiru hummed, moving his face close to Yuriko's, noticing that her eyes had been flicking up and down his body.

"Huh-Wh- Shut up! I wasn't expecting so much muscle tone nor was I expecting you to be topless! And I've seen better" She snapped, a light blush dancing across her features as she snapped her head away.

Ichiru laughed, stepping to one side, "Coming in? Or would you rather speak of such matters in the dorm corridor where anyone could hear?" He said, raising his eyebrows sarcastically.

"Oh your fucking hilarious aren't you…" She hissed, trudging into his dorm, peeved at how much of a flirt he was being again.

"Well. Say what you want to say, I'm listening." Ichiru sighed, rummaging through his drawers for the tee-shirt he knew he had somewhere...

"You didn't have to save me." She started clearly, "In fact I thought you wouldn't have...but you did so..."  
"So...what? Do you feel indebted to me or something?" Ichiru said absently, still searching his drawers.

"Well...yeah. And you saw me crying and..."  
"Having a mental breakdown sounds more like it to me. 'I didn't survive because I wanted to' 'I'd be better off dead' 'I should have been taken too', need I go on?"  
Yuriko tensed; he could speak English, and really well too. Now she knew she was screwed a million times over.  
"Something tells me my dear brother and his...whatever she is to him, doesn't know that your a total mess."

"...more like they don't care..." Yuriko whispered softly, unaware that she'd even said that at all.

Ichiru paused in his search for that tee-shirt. "Is that so...?"

"Ah- W-Whatever! Thanks for saving me, good day to you sir-" Before she could bolt for the door Ichiru pinned her down to the bed, holding her arms either side of her head while he straddled her waist. "Meep..."

"I'm fluent in English you know. I understood every word you said up on that roof...do you really think I'm not going to ask questions? Your behavior is a bit...odd."

Yuriko may as well have broken into millions of little pieces. She'd been caught. And by Ichiru no less. Why did _he _have to find out? Why not Takuma or Zero, you know what Kaname would have been a better option! But no, it just _had _to be Ichiru.

"...its none of your business..." She spat at him, turning all of her pain into anger just to throw at him.

"Hmm...I just saved your life. You owe me." He smirked.

Yuriko gritted her teeth, "I'd rather be tortured than tell you anything!"

That smirk grew again. "Oh really? Well then...in return for saving your life how about paying me back with your body."  
She stared at him blankly for a few seconds before it clicked, her face went bright red and she started trying to fend him off, "Oh hell no! No! Lemme go!" She yelped.

Surprisingly enough Ichiru actually struggled to keep her down, she'd become quite a bit stronger since the last time he saw her. "Either you pay me back with your body, or you tell me whats going on behind that facade of yours."

Yuriko stopped. Which was worse? Letting this stranger know how deeply her scars ran...or letting him have sex with her?

"W-well...you can't right now..." She mumbled, a flush creeping across her face again.  
"And why not?" He pushed her back down onto the bed, intent on taking her right there and then until she spoke.

"I-I'm...on my period."

Ichiru simply smiled at her, "So? There's more than one way to reach ecstasy."

"Ah-..." Yuriko couldn't come up with anything to slap that one away. She may seem to know a hell of a lot about sex but when it came to action she froze up completely. She had no experience what so ever, she'd never even seen it being done. In her head she knew there were probably only two other ways she could do it, it was her hand or…god forbid, her mouth.

Ichiru sighed heavily and got off her, "I'm not in the mood right now...but should I ever want to..." He played with a strand of Yuriko's short hair and kissed it, an evil little gleam in his eyes. _"He is __definitely__ not one bit like Zero."_

She swatted his hand away and trudged over to the door, "You'd better not hurt me or I swear-"  
"Oh don't you worry...I'll take you slowly, I wouldn't want to break a fragile little girl such as yourself."

Yuriko made a noise that could only be described as an angry growl.

"And by the way, I suggest you take some kind of contraception in case I get a bit...carried away." He smirked at her again, "Unless you want to tell me whats behind that facade of yours? Or maybe I can guess; a suicidal miserable foreign lonely little child, delicate as a lily like her name implies-"

Yuriko shot across the room and punched Ichiru in the face, hard enough to leave a bruise behind. He spat up a little blood as well. "Your a self-centered ignorant bastard you know that? Now I see why Zero doesn't like you!" She yelled, storming out of the room. Unaware that she herself had been ignorant towards Ichiru.

She was angry. She was angry because he had been completely right. That was what she was behind her mask. She was miserable, she was suicidal, she was lonely...she was still a child and she was definitely foreign. She was fluent in Japanese, but there were times when Yuuki or Zero would speak too quickly or use words she didn't understand...all she could do was piece the words she did know together and hope to god she got it right. She couldn't read or write kanji very well, her hiragana was poor and her katakana was even worse.

She spent the next hour practicing her katana forms outside, just near the fountain, swinging the sword at invisible enemies, trying to take her anger and frustration out on them. Her muscles were so sore by now she was numb but she kept going. She needed to hit something...yell at someone, _anyone _would do. Hell she'd yell at Takuma if he was here! God knows he'd let her too, he knew too well how she worked...god damn it she wished he was here to help her. She needed someone she could trust, someone who wasn't too busy to deal with her...she desperately needed a someone she could confide in and not have to worry about her little mask breaking...

"Yuriko where the hell-"  
"Just leave me alone." Yuriko grunted at Zero, swinging her katana with the deadly accuracy that could mean life or death for a vampire. _'Aim for the stomach or the limbs, if you aim for the heart you might accidentally hit the breastbone and within those two seconds you could die. You may not kill the vampire...but you'll do enough damage to slow it down.' _That was what Takuma had told her once.

It was clear that she was in a bad mood...but there was another scent mixed with her own that Zero couldn't ignore. He walked over to her and she swung the blade at him, holding the tip of it under his neck, keeping him at least twenty one inches away from her.

"I said..._leave me alone. _Zero." She said quietly. There was a look in her eyes...a look that she'd never had before. It was one Zero knew himself very well. _"She looks as though she could kill..." _But he knew by now she wouldn't hurt a fly, and she never lay a finger on him.  
"Why were you with Ichiru?" He demanded calmly. She wasn't just upset, she was livid. Clearly Ichiru had pressed all her buttons at once...and now Zero had to deal with the aftermath. The fact she had midnight sun pointed at his throat meant that she was frustrated enough to want to hit something and that was an extremely rare thing for Yuriko. He really hated his younger brother sometimes.

"Oh no _particular_ reason Zero. He just saved my life when I almost fell to my death earlier today so I went to thank him." She smiled pleasantly, though her body language and sarcastic tone of voice suggested otherwise.

"You...what...?" He breathed. Yuriko almost died..._today. _Where the hell was he when that happened?  
"Yep. I almost died." She said, swinging her blade away from Zero's throat and for a second he thought she was going to kill him. "Actually; I almost committed suicide. Yeah, that's right I said it. I'm suicidal!" She swung midnight sun around more aggressively now, her muscles were begging her to stop...but the physical pain was a distraction from the emotional. She didn't have to think about stuff like that when she was fighting.

"Yuriko...I think you need to calm down..." Zero said slowly, stepping towards her again, intent on taking her katana off her. He could probably do so in the blink of an eye...but he'd end up hurting her that way and he could tell she was starting to get unstable.

"Calm...calm down?" She yelled, swinging her katana again, letting it rest by her side, "How can I fucking calm down? Some...some bloody stranger who I barely know knows more about me than my freaking best friend does! All because I panicked, I let my guard down! I gave into it!"  
"Yuriko please, I know your upset but put midnight sun away before you hurt yourself...you know that thing can do damage to both humans and vampires, now put it back in its sheath..."

Yuriko looked outraged and confused, "Why are you talking to me like I'm insane? Oh. Wait. I _am _insane."  
"Yuriko I'm serious. Put the sword away, now."

She pointed it at him again, "Or what?"

Zero had two options now. One, he took it from her by force which would result in a fight. He knew Yuriko had gotten stronger and faster over the years...but he didn't know how strong. If he underestimated her, he might get hurt and if he overestimated her he'd hurt her. Two, he could try and reason with her again but he knew that wouldn't work.  
Then it hit him.

He took hold of the blade, "What are you..." He squeezed his hand on the sharp edge, cutting himself deeply.  
"If you don't put it down then...I'll keep hurting myself until you do."

Her eyes widened, "You wouldn't...!"

"Watch me."

Zero pulled the blade down towards his shoulder, Yuriko struggled to stop him all the while. "St-stop it...! It hurts...!"

He had both his hands on the blade, his blood running down the cool sharp steel. It hurt so damn much...but he knew she'd drop it soon enough.  
"Drop...the sword..." He grunted.

Yuriko whimpered and let midnight sun drop from her hands to the floor. Zero hissed in pain, alright maybe that wasn't such a good idea...his hands really hurt now.

"I'm sorry..."  
Zero looked up at her; she looked a lot less angry and more upset and guilty. "Don't be...I did this to myself."  
"But if I just dropped it like you told me to then..."  
"Exactly. You wouldn't have dropped it if I didn't do that."  
Yuriko hated to say it but Zero was clever to do that. He knew she couldn't stand it when he was in pain, and the fact that pain was being brought on by her own sword...there was no way in hell she couldn't have dropped it.

She walked over to him slowly, "It really hurts doesn't it..."

"I'll be fine, the wounds aren't that deep anyway."

Yuriko looked and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the speed at which he was healing, "What the crap- oh...right vampire speed...right..."

Zero sighed and shook his head, "Don't do anything stupid alright?" He said as he started to walk off.

She wanted to reach out for him. She wanted to tell him why she had said all that...she wanted to just breakdown in his arms...but instead she watched him go.

"Z-Zero!"

He paused and looked back at her. Yuriko blanked, unaware that she'd called out to him at all. "Uh..."

"Do you want to talk about it, Yuriko?"

She blinked at him, "What?"  
"Don't get me wrong...the reason I'm walking away from you is because I get the feeling you don't want to talk about it yet, that maybe you want to calm down first or something..."  
_"That's not right...I want to talk about it, Zero! I want to tell you!"_  
"You just told me you were suicidal and to be honest...you look a little strange right now." He continued on in a mumble, "and it might kill me inside to do it but if you don't want to talk about it yet then you don't have to."

Yuriko stood there frozen, she wanted to tell him alright but nothing was listening to her right now.

"Yuuki said she's going to ask Kuran about her past." He said, changing the subject back to Yuuki. It was a habit by now and one he needed to break out of.

"_Always Yuuki..."_

"Yeah...he probably knows something anyways." She smiled weakly, her eyes betraying her expression but Zero said nothing of it.

"Yeah...sly bastard knew all along..." He snarled. "Ah...I'll be going then, don't do anything stupid. I dunno what I'd do if I lost you..."

Yuriko watched as the silver haired male retreated, unaware of the severe ache in his head and chest. She had no idea how much she'd scared him in those few seconds. When he was sure he was far enough from her he slammed his fist into the wall, "Fuck Yuriko!" He snarled to himself, "Why the hell don't you talk to anyone? Jesus christ!"

He got so unbelievably wound up whenever she did this! She would just keep it all inside, let it all bottle up and then break down. Dear god he wanted to go back and demand to know what was wrong with her all of a sudden...but he knew he wouldn't be able to take it. He was in a weird sort of mood as of late and he didn't want to say the wrong thing to her, especially given her current state. Zero would let her calm down, sort out her thoughts and if she wanted to, then he'd listen to her. He was good at that much...just listening to her. He felt like he _should _do something more but what else could he do?  
Zero growled again, his thoughts just kept contradicting one another. _"I want to help her, I want her to talk to me, but I don't want her to do what she doesn't want to do...but at the same time if I let her bottle it up it'll get worse and worse and then-"  
_"Ah...there you are!"  
"Yuuki?"

Yes. Yuuki. The small brown haired girl. His distraction from Yuriko, in a way. He just needed to focus on Yuuki for now, Yuriko would call on him when she needed him. And if she didn't...well he'd notice if something was up right?

…

Takuma finally managed to get to bed after a long, long chat with his grandfather and 'Shiki' but he couldn't seem to fall asleep. Despite the fact he was exhausted…but with everything he had heard no one could blame him for not being to sleep.

He'd rather stay here than bring that…that vampire into the school and chaos along with him! But he had no choice. How could he look at Yuriko when he was going to be one of the people who would turn her world upside down all over again? After all this time over protecting her…he knew somewhere in his gut something was wrong with her. She'd break down every now and again, but it always depended on what was going on, who was around and so on. Without himself around Takuma was sure that meant she would be insecure…all he could do was pray that Kiryuu and Yuuki were looking after her. Yuriko never did well on her own. She would over think. The things she thought of scared Takuma himself sometimes. Suicide, severe regret, feeling alone all the time…feeling useless. He could sympathise with her right about now. He'd rather die then do what he had been ordered to do.  
"Ah…I'm so stupid!" He hissed to himself. Yuriko had a phone! He could call her, it was a simple as that!  
Now, he wanted to tell her the truth…about Yuuki and Kaname, but the walls of the Ichijo manor had ears so he felt it best just to speak to her. Ask her how she was…surely she'd be alright?

The phone rang. Once, twice;

"Uh…hello?" In all his years of knowing her, Takuma had never been so relived to hear her voice.

"Yuriko-chan, its Takuma! I'm sorry I've been away for so long, but I'll be back soon enough." He chirped, thanking the heavens she couldn't see the look in his eyes right now.

He heard her sigh shakily, "Takuma I…I haven't been feeling well…"  
His eyes widened. "…shit…."  
"Eh- Did you just curse? Takuma Ichijo cursed!" She trilled gleefully, but of course Takuma knew this trick of hers all too well.

"Yuriko…what's wrong?"

There was a long silence. "…I dunno…"  
"Well…since when have you felt unwell?"

"Since a while ago...I realized too many things at once and now..." She took a shaky breath again, "You know what never mind." She said quickly.

"No- Yuriko don't-!"  
She hung up. All Takuma could do was stare at the phone. He gritted his teeth and without thinking hurled it at the wall, letting it smash to a thousand little pieces as he flopped back onto his bed.

"T-Takuma-sama...? Is everything alright?"

The blonde noble froze and composed himself, "Ah...I just dropped a book is all, Izumi. Don't worry about it!" He smiled from behind the door.  
"Yes sir." He heard the maid walk away.

It wasn't like Takuma to be this wound up...to be so upset and angry with himself but it did happen. He was just like every other vampire; he had emotions he sometimes couldn't control. Like his bloodlust for Yuriko for example... He still found it unbelievable that he didn't get caught. Such a sinful act...he felt as though he should be cut open and dipped in vinegar and salt for that...the worst part was he could still taste her. And he wanted more.

"...I suppose we vampires really are monsters..." He mumbled, turning on his side. "I'm so sorry Yuriko..."

…

…

…


	21. Little Girl Lost

21. Little girl lost

Yuriko lay awake in her bed yet again, staring at her wall completely lost in thought. She hadn't been able to sleep that night. It was still killing her inside...what she'd done to Zero, what she'd found out about herself...it was all too much and it kept running around and around in her head. Oh, and there was the fact she was hearing voices. She was sure she was starting to loose her hair at this stage. That phone called had stressed her out so much as well. She felt like sobbing over the phone at him...but she knew better than to do so. It would just frustrate him. Hell she was sure she'd frustrated him by just hanging up all of a sudden. Of course she tried to call him back but all she got was that message everyone hated hearing; 'The number you have dialed is not available at the moment.'

Iwasawa's alarm clock went off and Yuriko didn't even bother to jump out of her skin. She knew it was coming, the sun was just rising anyway.

"Didn't sleep again I see." She remarked, wandering over to the closet.

Yuriko didn't answer her but just sat up, throwing the sheets off her, "I'm having a shower..." She mumbled, getting off the bed to grab her towels and uniform from the closet.  
"Don't mumble." The older girl snapped, glaring at her.

"I said I'm having a shower." She snapped at the older girl, trudging into the bathroom. She heard Iwasawa scoff but she couldn't care less.

Yuriko barely took notice of what on around for the next hour or so, just doing things on auto.

"Yuriko...your hair is wet."_  
_"Yeah. The sky is blue. Sheep go baa. And you, Zero, brood a lot. Whats new?" She replied.

And the first thing Zero thought was; she's PMSing isn't she? She wasn't usually this snarky...unless she was of course on her period, Zero had learned that the hard way.

"Yuuki...last night she asked Kuran if he had something to do with her missing past."  
"...she what? What did Kuran say? Oh, please tell me he told her the truth or I'll fucking rip him to shreds!" Yuriko snarled, clenching her fists. If there was anything that distressed Yuuki more it was her missing past. If that Kuran bastard didn't tell her anything by god, he was a dead ass pureblood.

"No...he didn't. He knows something. And he dodged the issue by asking Yuuki to become his lover."

Yuriko's breath left her, "And...how do you know all this...?" All she could do was pray he wouldn't say it...

"I was there."

Yuriko just stared at him in complete utter shock. He was _there _when Kuran asked Yuuki to be his lover. That lousy son of a bitch! Clearly Yuuki hadn't refused, and Kuran _knew _how much Zero loved Yuuki so what better way to get at him than ask the girl he loves to be his lover.

"Oh...god..."

"Yuuki said yes...obviously."

"That son of a...K-Kuran! I'm talking about Kuran!"

"_Are you?"_

That voice again. She stiffened but ignored it. "Last night...uh...sorry I went all aggro on you...is your hand okay...?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah...I'm fine. You look tired though..."

"Ah...well...couldn't sleep very well. Too much going on up here you know?" She smiled weakly, tapping her head.

Zero gave her a pained look; he couldn't do anything. He didn't want to force her to talk about it, but at the same time he knew she desperately needed someone to talk to.

He glanced around subtly and upon taking note that no one was around he leaned into her ear, "If you ever need someone to talk to...you know I'm here, right?" He whispered. Pathetically cliché choice of words but he meant them.

As if on que Yuuki walked solemnly down the stairs with Sayori in tow.

"Morning, Yuuki!" Yuriko chirped, giving the brunette a big grin.

"M...Morning!" She replied weakly. It seemed as though she wasn't the only one loosing sleep.

"_Didn't Zero say he was going to go with Yuuki to ask about her past? Surely Yuuki knew that Kuran would try..."_

"Obviously not..."  
"Eh?"

Yuriko blinked at Sayori, "Ah- Nothing!"

Zero blinked at Yuriko and creased his eyebrows. She was talking to herself..._again. _Something was definitely up with her. She'd been talking to herself a little more frequently than usual and although it was in muttered tones he could hear her.

He caught Yuriko's eye, "Yes...any particular reason your staring at me?"

"Not really..."

Know she knew he'd heard her. She looked away from him and began engaging in conversation with Sayori and Yuuki as they walked to the school building. Zero trailed behind them as usual, his eyes lingering on Yuriko. She seemed a bit off. She was a bit _too _hyper today, and it was obvious to him that she was only putting it on. She seemed to wobble a little as she walked though it was probably something only he'd have picked up on considering what he was.  
Well she was tired...what else should he expect. And with a soft sigh he just dismissed it. Well, for the moment.

…

"Jesus..."  
It was just sitting there, staring at her with big blue teary eyes, with it's long brown hair all messy and tangled. It was covered in blood...well maybe not covered, more like someone had splashed blood on it. And the worst part was it was wearing that nightgown she wore that very first night.

"_I want-"_

"I don't care! I don't care about what you want; because YOU are just an _illusion_! This is all in _my head, _and if I ignore it, you shall go away!" Yuriko had to catch herself before she fell of the windowsill.

"_Like I ignore everything? I ignored the fact I was depressed and now look at me...its all bottled up to the point where I'm loosing my hair..."_

"I-I'm not loosing my hair!" Yuriko snapped at the illusion, pulling on her hair. "Oh...snap..." Sure when she pulled on her hair one or two strands would come out but...there was about ten there.

"_I'm suicidal...I'm lonely...I'm depressed...and all I want is someone to talk to..."_

"Well just- Hi...Zero..." How long had he been standing in the doorway for? Well she was screwed anyway. He'd said if she ever needed to talk to someone he'd be there in other words; when you see me again I'll make you talk about it even if I don't mean to.

He said nothing but walked over to her, hands shoved in his pockets. "I heard all of that." He sighed.

"Ah...sure, whats a bit of hair?"

Zero gave her a serious look as he leaned against the wall,"What's wrong? If this is something that your loosing your hair over then you need to talk about it, Yuriko. You need to...but I won't make you talk if you don't want to."

"Its just..." She tried starting. It was as if she'd suddenly forgotten how to talk, like the words wouldn't come out...it happened every time she tried to talk about this kind of thing. She couldn't find the words and she'd just direct the subject somewhere else. "I...I haven't talked to you like this in ages!" She smiled up at him.  
"Sorry...its just with all the stuff that's been going on..."

"_You haven't got time for me."_

Yuriko flinched and he saw her doing so. "Yuriko...?"

"No-No its okay...I'm alright..."

Zero closed his eyes, "No you're not...Yuriko. I can see it so clearly it hurts..."

Yuriko's eyes widened, "W-What...do you mean by that...?"

"I can see it in your eyes...your hurting." He said softly, pushing himself off the wall. He'd promised himself he wouldn't force her to talk...but this needed to be done or she'd fall apart.

"I'm sorry..." She headed for the door, taking large strides as quickly as her legs could manage.

This hurt too much. She felt too vulnerable, too weak...she needed to get away from him before he found out how pathetic she really and truly was.

Zero walked after her and grabbed her wrist, dragging her back into the classroom. He pinned her to the wall, holding both her forearms as firmly as he could, but not so much so that it would hurt her.

She looked down, shaking her head, trying to cover her eyes with her fringe. For once she was grateful it was long enough to hide her eyes, "I'm fine..."

"No your not Yuriko. What? What's wrong with you? Are you upset over something…?" He asked frantically. This wasn't like her, this wasn't like the Yuriko he knew too well at all. It was as if this was a totally different person. "Look at me, Yuriko. Yuriko! Answer me at least!" He was getting frustrated, why wasn't she answering him? And she wasn't even looking at him which just made him worry even more. Something was wrong with her. It was obvious in her eyes.

Zero took a small breath, he needed to be calm with her. Shouting at her wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Yuriko…what's wrong? You know you can talk to me about it, I won't say anything, I won't judge you. I'll just listen to you…if that's what you want." He said gently, letting go of her arms, placing both palms against the wall either side of her instead.

What was she supposed to say now…? The words Zero said lingered in her mind, the tone…he'd spoken like that to her twice before, but that was a long time ago. Should she really tell him? If she did she knew she would have a break down before she got even half way through the explanation. What was with her and breaking down these days? She'd never broken down so many times before in the space of a few days. The least she could do was look at him really…but she couldn't…

"_Why not…"_

She trusted him didn't she? She loved him…so why not let him see the raw pain that was pouring from her pathetic blue eyes? She didn't answer him, but he figured he had to be patient.

"What's wrong, huh?"

She needed to find the words. She needed to explain to him what was going on in her head right now. But she couldn't all she could do was try not to cry and she wasn't doing a very good job.

"I'm sorry..." She whimpered, "I'm sorry...! I don't know..." Yuriko buried her hands in her face, she couldn't stop once she started crying and she couldn't look at Zero anymore. "I don't know what to say...I'm sorry...!"

Zero said nothing but pulled her into a tight embrace and she knotted her fingers in his shirt, sobbing her heart out, apologizing. "You've got nothing to be sorry for...its alright..." It was all he could say.

He didn't know why but he felt like this was his fault. He hadn't been watching over her...he knew in his gut he should have checked on her at least once but he was so caught up in Yuuki's problems that he just…forgot about her.

And now Yuriko was a mess, he didn't know what was going on in her head but here she was sobbing hard enough for her whole body to be trembling in his arms. That was enough to tell him that she must be in a mess.

"…Sorry…I'm sorry…! ...can't stop...!" She wailed, Yuriko was really and truly sobbing. And it didn't look like she would be stopping any time soon.

"Shh…its okay…cry as much as you want to...I'll be here..." Zero whispered, tightening his grip on Yuriko's waist, as he brought one arm around the back of her neck. He was so stupid…how could he have ignored her like that…?

Then it hit him; if Yuuki heard this she'd come running. As much as he cared for Yuuki...he knew Yuriko wouldn't want Yuuki barging in on her in this state.

"Shh…just take deep breaths…" He said softly, stroking her hair.

She tried but ended up sobbing again, "Can't...I can't stop...!"

"Yuriko, just breath slowly…take deep breaths…in, hold and out…just in, hold and out…" Yuriko did as she was told, or more her lungs obeyed Zero of they're own accord. After a few minutes of that she had calmed down, but she could still feel the raw pain in the pit of her stomach from crying so hard.

"You okay now?"  
She shook her head, clinging tightly to the fabric of Zero's shirt. Yuriko didn't care any more, she didn't want to pretend she was okay, what was the point anymore, now that Zero had seen her so upset…he'd seen what she was.

"Do…you want to talk about it?" He murmured, still holding her, it was as if he was afraid she would fall apart if he let go.

"I can't find the words..." She croaked, letting herself sink into the warmth of his arms.

She knew it was wrong of her to feel so safe with him, to feel as though he really did love her when he didn't...but she did. It hurt to think about it...so she just let herself feel.

"I love you too much...Zero..."

Zero swallowed, "I know...I'm grateful for that, Yuriko."

And she found the words she had been desperately searching for; "Lately…I feel like I just can't do it anymore…its like, no matter how hard I try to keep things lively- things aren't getting better…if anything its getting worse because I'm acting so elated. I'm depressed, I'm miserable, I'm homesick, I'm suicidal...and the only people who've been keeping going don't seem to be there anymore."  
At this point Zero intervened, "I'm sorry Yuriko." He choked. So this _was_ because he hadn't been there for her. But not just him...all of her other friends. She was lonely, and that loneliness had led her to go insane...god he knew that train wreck too well. But for Yuriko; this was on a much larger scale.

"I understand...I've been there before. You feel like no one cares about you but you're wrong...Yuuki cares about you, Kumiko, Nene and Ichijo care about you..._I _care about you." He said, holding her a little tighter.

"I know...I know that...but _she_ doesn't..."

"Who? Yuuki?"

"No...I know that...but _I _don't know that..."

Zero was confused, "I don't get it...what do you mean by you and you?"

She trembled in his arms again, "I'm..."

"Shh...shh...look, we can't keep talking here. Someone is bound to walk in...we'll just..." He paused, he needed to think of somewhere for them to go, somewhere where no one would interrupt them. "We'll just go to my dorm room...we can settle things there."

She nodded once as Zero let go of her, the girl in front of him looked so messed up and chaotic…it just didn't look like Yuriko at all. But then again this was what she was like under the surface. Confused…she was so confused. She was like a lost child, and with what had happened between Yuuki and Kaname, she would only get even more lost. Zero would just have to tell her later…if she was feeling better. Yuriko really was a child the whole way through...

...

As soon as Yuriko stepped into the dorm, she felt at home. "Where…did my bed go?" She asked, looking at the blank space where her bed used to be, and where a desk now stood. "Honestly…I don't know, I walked in about a month ago and it was gone. The room looked empty without it so I moved the desk." Zero stated bluntly, "Speaking of your things, you've still got some clothes to take with you." He knew he was trying to be humorous...but his sense of humor was something only he seemed to get.

When Yuriko left the dorm, she purposely, and yes Zero was sure she did it on purpose, she left some of her things behind, just as an excuse to be in the dorm again.

"Yeah…I'll bring them back with me later."

Zero's look softened. He was half expecting her to giggle sheepishly and come up with a bizarre reason as to why she couldn't take them back. But no…she was too upset for that. Too broken. "You can use the shower if you want, I'm sure it'll calm you down." He sighed, a shower usually calmed him down but he wasn't sure about Yuriko though. Everyone had their own way of calming down and he figured that maybe a cup of tea would help her.

"D'you want a cup of tea...or something?"

"Yeah...please..." She replied with a weak smile.

Zero took of his jacket, "I'll be back in a minute then..."

"I think I'll have a shower...just a word of warning."

He smiled slightly and walked out the door. As soon as he'd closed it, he walked quickly towards the kitchen area of the dorms. He needed to be quick, he didn't want to leave her alone for to long. But why? Not even he knew right now. He didn't _want_ to think about why he was doing this, but he went on ahead anyway.

"Zero! Are you loafing off again? Jeez!" Yuuki gasped, grabbing his arm.

"Ah- Yuuki...! Hold on-"  
"No! You've been loafing off too much lately-"  
"Yuriko isn't feeling well...so I'm taking care of her." He explained, doing what he always did when those feelings welled up inside of him; he push it all towards Yuuki instead. She wasn't as fragile as she was...and it wasn't like she'd ever love him back anyway.

Sometimes he wondered if he'd have been better off if he never spoke to Yuriko on that Christmas eve almost two years ago.

"Oh...whats wrong with her?"  
"I'm not sure...she's just not feeling well. So I was going to make her tea."

"Ah...I'll go keep her company-"  
"No!" Zero said suddenly, grabbing Yuuki's arm, "No...don't. She's...she wouldn't want you to see her right now Yuuki. I don't mean to sound...I dunno..." He trailed off, how the hell was he supposed to explain it to her without slipping the truth?  
"Okay. I understand...I'll keep patrolling, you take care of Yuriko for me okay?" She smiled and bounded off. Zero was sure she was upset...but she'd have to understand that Yuriko didn't like being seen as vulnerable. Zero had coped that much from the way she had been acting since she poured her heart out to him.

When he returned to the room he was surprised to see Yuriko wearing one of _his _shirts. It was big enough to look as though it was an oversized night-gown or something...then he noticed she was wearing nothing but it. And presumably her underwear. But his libido seemed to like the possibility she wasn't wearing anything underneath it...

"I'm so-"  
"Don't be. Its fine. I don't mind." Zero said quickly, sitting next to her on his bed. He gulped but said nothing to her at first, "Here..." He passed the mug of tea to her, "Just don't spill it..."

"Thank you..."

There was a long silence between the pair as she started drinking her tea. Zero didn't mind it that much, he wasn't much of a talker anyway...but it bothered him that Yuriko wasn't talking at all.

"Can...can I..."

"Hm?" Zero replied, feeling relived that she'd finally said something.

"Never mind..." She muttered.

"Whats wrong?"

"Can I...sleep here tonight?" Yuriko asked quietly, her fringe covering her eyes again.

"Of course you can you idiot." He ruffled her hair but she didn't react the way he had expected her. That being she'd swat his hand away and do the same to him.

"Its just...when I was little..." She started slowly, "When I was little and I couldn't sleep...I'd normally sleep in my mum's bed, just because I was scared and all I really wanted was my mum to comfort me."

"Yeah? I suppose every kid does that...but with Ichiru..." Zero stopped for a moment and glanced over at Yuriko who was looking at him curiously, "When Ichiru had a bad dream he'd normally come into my bed. Our parents were away a lot so...I suppose I was his only comfort."

"Yumiko did that too...slept in the same room but she'd still crawl into my bed saying; you're too far away."

"Yumiko...she's your younger sister right? How much younger was she?" Zero suddenly realized what a bad idea that was, Yuriko's look darkened and her eyes went distant. But before he could direct the conversation she answered him.

"She was my identical twin sister. I was about ten minutes older than her."

Zero's eyes widened a bit, "...I...I had no idea..."

"I didn't want anyone to know...I don't know why though."

"Mmm..." Was all Zero could say.

Yuriko rested her head on Zero's shoulder and started talking about what had happened to her in the past. Starting with her mother.

"She got into a bad crowd...drugs and all that. I think she went mad because my dad had left her, he went back to Japan and she never saw him again after that. She knew she couldn't take care of me and Yumiko...so she placed us in foster care when we were only babies. She pleaded with the social workers not to separate us and luckily enough they didn't. We lived with the Mulligan family...on that note why does everyone say my last name as Marigan, not Mulligan?" She asked suddenly, catching Zero off guard.

"I suppose Japanese just can pronounce certain vowels in the English language...like you can't pronounce tsu." He smirked at her.  
She glared at him lazily and for the first time that night he saw a bit of life in her eyes, "Shut up."

Yuriko continued on. She had been bullied in primary school, but she took most of it to protect her sister and apparently this was when she first started 'hiding'. "I felt like they were getting some kind of sick satisfaction out of seeing me cry...so I stopped crying. I stopped reacting to what they did and said on the outside when inside I was crying...I guess you could say I still do it now."

Secondary school wasn't so bad, she'd made a lot of friends that she lost contact with when she ended up having to stay in Japan.

"My family was killed by a level E...and you know the rest..." She mumbled, trailing off. More from the fact she was tired, Zero noted.

"Mmm..." He mumbled, feeling a bit tired himself.  
Yuriko's body slackened against him and he looked down to see her fast asleep. He rolled his eyes and picked her up, being careful not to wake her up as he placed her back down on the bed, her head resting on the pillow. He covered her with the sheets and she mumbled something unintelligible.

"Don't you dare wake up..." He whispered, turning his back on her to change. Luck was on his side as she didn't wake up at all, she stirred a little while he was taking his trousers off but that was it.

Then it hit him; when she said she wanted to sleep here tonight...did she mean she wanted to sleep with him or she just wanted to stay here...well where else was he supposed to sleep. He wouldn't mind it, he'd gotten well used to it after living with Ichiru all his life.

Without a second thought he slipped into the bed next to her. She stirred again, "Shh...its just me..." He whispered, petting her hair. He noticed that some of it was actually falling out. So she was _that _stressed after all...

She settled down again and he closed his eyes. It wasn't long before sleep caught up on him and he drifted away.

…

…

...


	22. Mercy on Me

22. Mercy on Me

It was around curfew, Ichiru was wandering around the corridors on his own.

A familiar melody echoed down the corridor, Ichiru could vaguely tell it was from a film. He followed it, he'd never been in the music room before anyway and he wanted to see who was playing it.

He opened the door and to his surprise it was Yuriko, she seemed oblivious to him as she was still playing. Then he remembered, "Comptine d´un autre été; l´après midi."

She suddenly stopped, "Ah...Ichiru."

"I thought students weren't allowed in here..." He said, shuffling into the room. Yuriko might be fun to tease, especially seeing as he had something wonderful to tease her over.

"Music students such as myself are, now get out before I throw the piano at you." She growled, starting up another melody.

"I doubt you could, you're awfully small...in most aspects anyway." He smirked.

"Haha, aren't you fucking hilarious."

"Why so standoffish?"

She stopped playing again, why _was _she suddenly so standoffish. He'd seen her vulnerable, so she had her guard up. That was why. "Just because."

"Just because huh...that's not very nice of you." He paced behind her and leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath on her ear, "Seeing as we have a deal and all that..."

She squeaked as she felt him biting down on her ear, "Get off, get off, GET OFF!" She yelped, trying and failing miserably to hit him.

He let her go and she bolted for the window, "You perv!"

"What? I'm only male, I'm going to have desires..." His eyes flicked over her appreciatively, she was far too aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing tights today. Ichiru pressed her up against the window, "I think its about time you payed that debt..."

As if on que the door swung open with a loud bang. There stood Zero Kiryuu a look of absolute disgust on his face, "Ichiru..." He growled, clenching his fists.

"Oh hello onii-chan! You're interrupting so if you wouldn't mind-"  
"Killing him that would be great!" Yuriko cut in, struggling against Ichiru again.

Zero stalked into the room, bringing an aura of terror with him. "I thought I warned you..." He snarled as Ichiru stepped innocently away from Yuriko.

"Hm? But we have a deal, Zero." His eyes glinted.  
"Ichiru don't you dare!" Yuriko squeaked, Zero shot her a look and she shut up.

"What kind of a deal? What did you ever do for her-" Then it hit him; he'd saved her life.

"I saved her from falling off the roof not too long ago. She owes me her life so I thought..." He trailed with a sly smile that set his twin's teeth on edge, "Well...Seeing as no one is here…I guess I can tell you." Ichiru trilled, looking around him to see an empty classroom.

Yuriko was scared, she didn't know what to do. If Ichiru told Zero she was sure he would never forgive her, on top of that he was sure to kill Ichiru on the spot. She could stop him… 'tell him and the deal is off' of course if she said that Zero would do that thing, look into her eyes and demand the truth. And she wouldn't be able to help but to submit to his request.

Ichiru leaned in, and whispered the words into his brother's ear. "In exchange for her life, she is to give something to me that she can't get back…"  
Zero glared hard at his brother, if Ichiru said what he thought he would say Zero knew he would end up killing him. "What? Tell me. Now."

The words Ichiru spoke were too quiet for Yuriko to hear, but Zero's reaction was all the knowledge she needed. His eye's widened, as he gritted his teeth and let out a low beastly growl. "You…!" Zero grabbed his younger twin by the throat and slammed his body against the wall, "You fucking basterd! After what you did! How fucking _dare _you ask for something like that! You piece of shit!"

"Zero! Stop it!" Yuriko yelled, shutting the door to the music room in the hopes that no one saw this.

"You needn't worry Yuriko-chan, although he looks absolutely livid with anger…he can't bring himself to put any kind of strength into this hand…" He smirked, "Right, onii-chan?"

Zero let out another growl, this time Yuriko flinched. It wasn't like the growl from an animal or something, well…she didn't know how to describe it properly but if she had to, it was like a tiger's growl but with Zero's voice. It scared her.

"You really are a vampire, growling at me like some kind of bloodthirsty dog, you have poor Yuriko-chan there a bit shaken-" Ichiru gasped suddenly as Zero flung him to the floor.  
"Touch her…and I'll murder you." He spat venomously as he grabbed Yuriko's wrist and dragged out to the stables, no one would hear them in here.

"As for you…!" He barked, "Why the hell should you owe him anything?"  
"…for the tenth time, he saved me from certain death!" Yuriko snapped back.

"And you thought that maybe if you let fuck you, it'd be fine with me?" Zero hissed, glaring hard at Yuriko as he began stepping closer to her, causing Yuriko to back up for every step he took.

"Of course I knew you'd be upset! But what else could I have done? He pretty much…I mean its my life I owe him-"

"I don't think you understand how stupid you're being! This is something you'll never get back! And your seriously going to give it to that bastard? Knowing you I thought you would have wanted to give it to someone you loved! You're going to regret giving it to him for the rest of your fucking life!"  
Yuriko was starting to get scared now, Zero was really and truly angry at her. But it wasn't him yelling that scared her; it was the fact that his fangs were fully extended and his eyes had started glowing a hazy red. They weren't pure red yet, it was just like a hint of red with the usual lavender, but the angrier her got the redder his eyes went, the more vampire he looked. He was well beyond furious.

"Well we can't always get what we want in this life now can we? Obviously I thought I could give _my _virginity to someone I cared about but no, now I have to-"  
"You don't _have_ to give him anything! You idiot, its your fucking body! And why would you even bother? He's just getting you to do that to get to me!" Zero yelled, he was furious. How dare Ichiru even think about laying a hand on this girl, how _dare _he. In his fury Zero failed to notice the uprising animal inside of him, which was fiercely possessive when it came to Yuriko…

"Here we go again! You and your stupid 'its all my fault' complex! This was a mistake _I _made-"  
"Look who's talking! You're the one with the 'its all my fault' problem! Its not your fault that…-!" Zero didn't dare continue that sentence, he knew what would happen if he did. He needed to shut himself up…

"Its not my fault that my family died? That I'm stuck here? Is that what you were going to say, huh?" Yuriko snapped, really quite pissed off.

"Oh just shut up! Please! Your so damn annoying! Everything you do…! Its just so irritating, and its not helping anyone!"

Yuriko's whole body froze, shock radiated through her body as well as a huge lump in her throat.  
"You think running around acting like you're a hyper idiot is really helping Yuuki's situation? Huh? You think giving Ichiru something he doesn't fucking deserve is going to make anything easier? Just what the hell are you on? Who do you think you are?" Zero yelled, trudging over to Yuriko until she had her back against the wall. He was furious. But…he was just taking all his pain and rage out on Yuriko. After everything that had happened, of course he was going to be distressed beyond belief. But what he discovered about Ichiru and Yuriko just pushed him way over the edge. "You…-"  
Yuriko cut him off with a hard slap to the face, she glared at him through glassy eyes. "You bastard." She hissed, slipping away from him.

He grabbed her wrist and threw her onto a haystack. She yelped and he loomed over her, she looked up at him in pure utter fear and confusion. Zero growled at Yuriko, his eyes were now a deep shade of crimson, there was not even a hint of lavender, his fangs were fully elongated. She gulped. Something told her she was a dead little girl.

"No one can touch you…" He mumbled, too quiet for Yuriko to properly hear. The thought that Ichiru could be with her right now, in his dorm room, pinning her to the bed as he took her…against her own will…! He felt that sudden rush of possessiveness, followed by an urge that he could no longer hold back to show Yuriko that nobody could lay a hand on her in that way…no one but him.

"Z-Zero! Please stop it your scaring me…!" Yuriko whimpered, sinking back into the hay. But the Zero she knew wasn't in front of her now.

Zero roughly grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her head back, biting into her soft pale skin. "Ah! Ow! Zero!" She yelped, letting a few tears escape from her eyes, that _hurt_. It _really _hurt her, but once again, after a few moments the pain went away and all that was left was the sensation of Zero sucking the blood from her body.

Yuriko had learned that vampire salvia held all this…these chemicals that numbed pain, healed wounds and even sometimes released a kind of a hormone. It was weak in ex-humans, but still there none the less. What did it do? Well…putting it bluntly, it pretty much intensified any amount of any other sex related hormone that the human was releasing, if any, by two, in an ex-human. In other vampires…well again it depended on the class.

Yuriko stayed very still, trying not to cry out or whimper, worse yet moan. Fear was still rushing through her, the way Zero had acted there scared her. And even the way he was acting now, he was taking her blood in really big draughts. He was acting like a wild animal.

Zero could feel the uprising ribbons of bloodlust curling through his veins once again and Yuriko's blood bonded with his own, Yuuki's blood was delicious alright…but it didn't give him the same thrill that he would get from Yuriko's blood, it didn't give him that feeling of wholeness. From the minute his fangs sunk into her skin, he felt a mix of an adrenalin rush and a sudden blast of sexual arousal. He felt like he was on a drug, but her blood wasn't enough. The animal inside craved something after the blood drinking, and it had been starved of it for far too long…sex.

"Z…Zero…! Tha…enough…please…!" Yuriko breathed, anymore blood and she would surely pass out, she felt so dizzy it was unreal.

Zero removed his fangs from her neck, that was it. He bit her, that was that now.

Wrong.

Zero was done with her blood…but he wasn't done with her. He was still angry…and deep in his mind the same words repeated; _ "No one can touch you like that…not until I do…your mine…you belong to me…! I'll be the only person to touch you like this…no one can have you but me…"_

If Zero wasn't on such a vampiric drugged out high, he would be sick to his stomach with such horrid thoughts.

He pinned her wrists either side of her head and started licking the bloodied side of her neck, "Z-Zero…nnn…you don't have to do that I can-"  
Zero looked up at the pair of confused glassy blue eyes, his eyes were darkened with a deep red as he panted softly, "No one…can touch you but me…" Her eyes grew wide and her breath left her, "No one…" He whispered, his voice hoarse with pure utter desire.

"…huh…?" Yuriko was so confused, why was Zero suddenly being so…possessive of her? And why did he suddenly tell her that no one could touch her but him, since when was he in control of her body? Regardless Yuriko could feel a sudden rush of heat to her gut with those words. "Oh hold up! H-Hold up! Hold uh-Mmm!"

He was sick of her talking nonsense by now, so he just crushed her lips against his own, shutting her up once and for all. "_What the fuck. What the fuck, WHAT THE FUCK?"_

Yuriko didn't know whether she should cry with happiness, push Zero off and slap him across the face or just scream for help. Zero Kiryuu, the first person she had ever loved was kissing her, _really _kissing her. His lips were pressed forcefully to hers and he had forced his tongue into her mouth, roughly exploring. She was starting to find it hard to think but she responded to him, letting him do as he pleased.

She didn't know what to do…she was more than sure that Zero had lost his mind, after all he loved Yuuki and just seconds ago he was yelling at her! Acting like some kind of dog with rabies! That was harsh, but it was the way he was acting. Really aggressive, even now he was pinning her to the hay stack with his own body. Leaving her wedged in between the wall and Zero's firm, strong body.

Wait…was he jealous? Jealous that Ichiru could have taken her virginity and not him? But why…? It wasn't out of love, so maybe it was out of some kind of weird sexual obsession with her. Hold on! Zero _was _sexually attracted to her, so that was it! Definitely…but…he wanted to have sex with her first- no he wanted to be the only one to have sex with her…why? Did he just like the idea of it? Maybe it was some weird vampire thing she would never understand but right here, right now…she really just wanted to know what was going on in that silver haired head of Zero's.

She stopped struggling against him as that thought entered her mind;

"_But…there's nothing that I wouldn't __refuse__ him…even if he were to refuse me…"_

He fumbled to pull Yuriko's ribbon out of whatever fucked up way she had tied it. Eventually he got it and by then Yuriko was done trying to comprehend what the hell was going on through Zero's mind. This was it, if this was what Zero wanted to do to her then so be it. He pulled back, kissing down Yuriko's throat while she tried to catch her breath. He pulled the zipper of Yuriko's jacket all the way down, bringing his hands to glide up the inside of the dark jacket, sliding it off the girl's small shoulders. She should make him stop but instead she sat up, helping him take her jacket off her…she had long decided on how she felt towards this boy.

"…_there's nothing I wouldn't give him…there's…nothing that I wouldn't do for this person…even if he so much as even forced me to do it…I would do it…just…for him…only him…only you, Zero."_

She let herself fall back onto the hay as he tore her shirt off her, leaving her in her bra. Zero couldn't get a hold of his senses, he really couldn't, his head was still rushing all he wanted was Yuriko, right in that moment. He wanted to strip her right there, and just have hot sweaty sex with her and he couldn't care less if any students saw them. Not even Yuuki.

Yuriko hissed and shivered as the cool November air hit her skin.

"Shh…shh…" He hushed, brushing her hair back, gazing down at the erotic picture in front of him. Yuriko was growing up, she was looking much less like a child and more like a woman.

Her short brown hair splayed across the hay, it was only now he noticed that there were strands of gold in her hair when the light hit off it. Her face was flushed and her small pink lips parted as she gasped for air, her blue eyes glazed over with desire and submission. His crimson curtained eyes slid down her shoulders to the plain white fabric she was clinging to.

He leaned back in, kissing her neck as he slithered one hand gently up her back, unclasping the bra with unusual ease which made Yuriko wonder for a moment, _"Did he practice or did he just break my good bra?"_

He threw the bra aside and pulled back for a second, just to look at this erotic sight again. He grinned in wolfish satisfaction to himself as he leaned back in to kiss her throat, flicking his tongue out to slide down her collar bone down towards her breast.

Yuriko gasped as that warm tongue began to slowly lick her already fully erect nipple, "Nnn…!"  
"…shh…" Zero hushed again, she knew she had to be quiet. Sex on school grounds was obviously forbidden anyway, even if there weren't vampires but because there were it was even more taboo. It caused a kind of knock on effect, pheromones released during sex more or less rubbed off on the other vampires causing them to get aroused. Human or vampire it didn't matter, pheromones were pheromones.

Yuriko bit down hard on her lip, trying to keep the on coming moans from escaping her lips as Zero continued licking and sucking on her breasts, swirling his tongue around the sensitized nub, while rolling the other in between his fingers. Over and over, it was driving her insane and she really thought she couldn't take anymore.

She looked through her lashes to see those pair of crimson eyes staring back at her, so this _is _a vampire thing, she thought. Something…made the vampire side of Zero do this to her. Even if it was a vampire thing, she still wasn't about to stop him. She didn't want to stop him…she didn't want to upset him. Besides...this felt way too good.

Zero kissed his way back up to Yuriko's neck and bit her for the second time, but it wasn't as hard. In fact…he just pricked her, and he was slowly easing his fangs into her skin. He groaned softly as he pushed his aching fangs into this girl's skin, bit by bit. Yuriko hissed, letting out a moan as she sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth, it hurt and then it felt good, and then it hurt again.

She could feel Zero just letting his fangs sink into her skin, not even bothering to suck her blood, all he wanted to do was bite her. But he was still happy enough to let the blood well up on its own and then drink it, her blood, at this moment was even more fulfilling. Lust, desire, submission, fear and pure utter ardor. All coming from one little girl…

He pulled his fangs out and started licking the blood he had accidentally spilt away, while Yuriko let out little moans and hisses. Zero's mind was still rushing, he still felt like he was on that high. So long as he kept touching Yuriko like this…tasting her blood, her pleasure, her pain. And no way in hell was Ichiru ever getting a piece of this amazing girl's ecstasy. Only he was allowed, Yuriko was _his. _He saw her first. He'd seen the side to her that she never showed anyone else. He knew her better than anyone else did in this school, or anywhere. No one knew her like he did, they'd shared a dorm together for six months and had lived together for nearly three years.

"…_mine_…" He murmured quietly, too low for Yuriko to hear, as he began unzipping the side zipper of her skirt down.

Yuriko was starting to regret the decision of choosing to wear calf-high socks today. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as Zero pulled her skirt off her, leaving her in nothing but her underwear, which by the way were already kind of wet.

Zero began taking his own clothes off, impatient and eager to take Yuriko as fast and hard as possible, he'd wanted this for so damn long…and he was finally getting what he wanted, no amount of masturbation was going to make up for this. If he still had any kind of sense he would have stopped and asked Yuriko why she wasn't putting up a fight. He was about to have sex with her in the school stable for gods sakes. Also, he would have been gentle and considerate. She really was small as in thin and breakable looking. Sure she had some muscle tone but she still looked so small none the less.

He stripped himself down to his trousers and stopped to touch Yuriko again, he didn't want that burning stimulation of hers to dim even if just a bit. He slid his hand down her stomach, causing her to sigh and shiver a little bit. Just that, that was enough for another wave of heat to shoot straight down to his already agonizingly hard erection. He was so damn hard it hurt…All of this…All of this desire, this craving to touch Yuriko...when did it all start, he wondered hazily, as he leaned back down to kiss her. _"Christmas...almost two years ago..."_

Since then he had held back, all that lust, all that hunger and all of that burning arousal for this girl underneath him at this very moment.

He could finally let it all go, and do what he wanted to do for so long now…just get Yuriko to reach ecstasy with him, right in front of him. Not just inside his head. Not this time.

He did something that Yuriko didn't expect him to do, nor know where to do it. He slipped his hand into her underwear and started stroking her in that place, the only place she knew how to reach a climax on her own with. That small bundle of nerves that drove her insane sometimes, what was it normal people called it? G-spot…? Clit? Core? She really couldn't think, her brain was sending bursts of electrical impulses from nowhere to nowhere, and it was intoxicating. Almost infecting Zero as Yuriko almost screamed in pure utter pleasure.

He felt like he could do this to her forever, and not even bother to do anything to himself, he would climax anyway, just from her desperately trying not to make a sound while he drove her nuts.

She covered her own mouth as hard as she could, this felt way too good for it to even be possible. It never felt this good when she did it, even when she did think of Zero doing it to her.  
She had no problem keeping quiet when she was in her room, or dorm with Iwasawa for that matter, but right now it was so hard. It was like Zero knew exactly what he was doing and before long she knew she would feel that incredible rapture…

"Uhnn…"

Just that small groan that Zero made was enough to get her to that mind-blowing bliss, crashing through her as her heart rate increased ten fold along with her temperature and blood pressure, causing Zero to press even harder against her. While she was still high on that peak he bit her again, making that feeling increase twice more. She couldn't help it anymore, her hand fell back on the hay, and she just screamed; "Z-Zero…! A-Ah…! Ahhh…! Oh god, Zero!"

Her brain short circuited and she stared at the roof of the stables, completely exhausted and delightfully spent.

"Yuriko..." She blanked again as she felt the sensation of Zero's finger _inside_ of her, sliding in and out, making her feel ridiculously aroused all over again. But it...the feeling wasn't entirely pleasant, it was a bit uncomfortable but it felt more pleasurable than sore. But that changed when he added another finger, she yelped and held onto his shoulders, "Z-Zero...it hurts..." She laughed nervously. He didn't stop, "It'll feel better soon..."

"Please...-" He cut her off with a rough kiss, adding a third finger. Now it _really_ hurt her, she'd never even done that to herself.

She had to force herself to accept what was happening, as much as this hurt...but she didn't want to anymore. It hurt, she was so damn scared and she was starting to realize that Zero wasn't going to stop. Not while he was on a vampire...thing.

He pulled back and she turned her head to the side, moaning in pain as she tried desperately not to cry. "Stop it...please, it really hurts..."

Zero said nothing but instead bit her. That was when he snapped out of his daze; _Fear, pain, panic. _He slid his fangs out of her skin and looked down at her, realizing exactly what it was he'd done to her.

"...god..." Was all he could say.

Yuriko looked at him from between her damp eyelashes and noticed that his eyes weren't the deep crimson they were a few moments ago.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry Yuriko...!" He was a monster. He'd never felt so ashamed of himself before, this was so much worse than just taking her blood. He'd wanted to have sex with her, with or without her consent. He'd tried to rape her.

"So you're back huh..." She noted, her voice breaking, "Could you...take them out..."  
"Ah- Sorry!" He gasped, sliding his fingers out of her. She grunted in discomfort and sank into the hay again.

"I'm so sorry...its just-"  
"It was a vampire thing right...? Like when you wanted blood really badly...'cept this was with sex..." She said.

"In a nutshell yeah but...its more complex than that..." God it was way more complicated than that but he couldn't get the words out. It had to do with him being attracted to her, and it had to do with those hidden feelings he refused to admit to himself.

Zero pushed himself off of Yuriko, closing his eyes as he did so. He refused to let himself get all worked up again.

She sat up herself. Her underwear were sticky and wet, and she was drenched in sweat. On top of that she hurt all over. Well it was more laden-ness for the majority of her body but there was a certain area that was in agony from being stretched too much too fast.

"You should...you should get dressed." He said slowly, picking up his shirt and jacket, his back still turned to Yuriko.

"Right..." She replied, fumbling around as she retrieved her skirt, shirt, jacket and bra which was broken. "You owe me two thousand yen." She said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Heh...I owe you more than just that for what I tried to do..."

Trust Zero to dampen a joke by making a dark comment.  
"Listen...I...uhm...I liked that. Well up until you...up until you fingered me that is. O-Other than that I can say I did like it...a lot...maybe too much."

Zero brushed a hand through his hair, "I wanted to have full on sex with you! With or without your permission I was going to fuck you. I tried to _rape_ you for godsakes, Yuriko!"

Yuriko flinched at the word rape. Technically...that was what he was going to do to her. When it started to hurt she started re-thinking her 'I'd give him anything' proclamation. She'd never been so scared in her life. If he had done that...it would have hurt like hell there was no doubt about that. Worse yet he could have gotten her pregnant and what then? What happened when a vampire and a human ended up having sex, what kind of child would be born? Vampire? Human? What would she have done? Would he stay with her regardless? Well from the look of guilt written all over his tense form he would have, but only out of guilt.

But he'd stopped himself. He came to his senses before it was too late and saved them both a nightmare of a life.

Just as Yuriko slipped her shirt on the world started getting blurry and her head was getting light, "Uh...Zero...'think I'm gunna faint..." The world went soft and gray and her vision faded. She heard the distant sound of Zero cursing before she completely passed out.

…

…

…


	23. Secrets

23. Secrets

Yuuki had fainted. Apparently for a second time, "Why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things?" Yuriko growled, kicking her shoes off as she dashed up the stairs.

"Yuu- and Zero..."

Yuriko stared in silence at the silver haired male sitting there with his arms resting on his legs. "Ah..."

This was likely the most awkward moment in Yuriko's life so far.  
After she'd fainted, she found herself in her own room. Zero was with her at that time but once she'd convinced him she was alright he returned to his dorm and she'd been avoiding him ever since. While she normally sat with Zero when they had classes together she'd sat as far away from him as possible. And she was pretty sure he'd coped what it was she was doing seeing as she'd sat up the front of the classes she had with miss Kuze.

She silently sat on the bed near Yuuki and started petting her hair, "How...how long has she been like this?"  
"Since this afternoon."

"I wonder whats wrong with her..." Yuriko mumbled, staring at Yuuki with a pained look in her eyes. She loved Yuuki, to Yuriko Yuuki was her younger sister and she did whatever she could for her. Seeing her sick enough to be fainting frequently hurt. "Fuck...I hate not being able to do anything...!" She hissed.

"Yeah...sucks doesn't it?"

Yuriko flinched, "Sorry..."

"What for?"

Yuriko opened her mouth and closed it again, "Dunno."

Time and time again she'd refused to tell Zero what was wrong with her even though she was clearly suffering. Somewhere in the back of her head she'd always known it had annoyed him...but it wasn't until now she really got how he felt.

"Did Yuuki faint, Zero?"

"Ichiru." Zero sounded surprised, but his surprise turned into bitterness. He stood up, "What are you doing here?" He snarled, standing in front of Yuriko protectively. _'No one can touch her...I won't let them'_

"Sorry for the surprise Kiryuu-kun I invited him for dinner so that we could get to know each other a little better! Unfortunately Yuuki isn't feeling well enough to join us…ah, that's right Yuriko-chan! Would you help me please?"

Yuriko blinked a few times and nodded at the chairman, who was wearing that ridiculous apron yet again. She grimaced, "Yeah, yeah..." She stepped out from behind Zero's shadow. She caught him tensing, as if he were ready to attack Ichiru if he so much as even breathed on her.

"Dinner will be ready soon so wait for me, and don't fight!" The chairman called, Yuriko stood up once again. "And I repeat the chairman, don't fight." She said walking out the door, Ichiru side stepped not really smiling or smirking at her, he looked too focused on something else to be mocking her right now.

As Yuriko entered the kitchen, the chairman was skipping around humming. She groaned again, "What do you want me to do?"

"Ah! Yuriko-chan! Be a dear and set the table for me would you please?" He grinned. Well at least he was happy, she thought, reaching for the plates.

"Oh, how lovely two twins! And identical too!"

Yuriko could feel those words hit her heart as she straight away thought of herself and Yumiko. "Yep…" She smiled back. People used to always get excited when they saw Yuriko and Yumiko standing together in school. They would sometimes wear their hair the same way and screw with the teachers, pretending that they were the other twin. Yuriko wondered if Ichiru and Zero used to do that. Sure they hated each other right now, but there must have been a time when they were really and truly brothers.

"Its such a shame their fighting though…maybe this dinner could change things...?"  
"Huh? What? Oh yep! We'll see." She replied quickly, walking into the dining room to set the table. She was being silly now, she was getting worked up again all because the chairman mentioned the obvious that Zero and Ichiru were identical twins. Zero and Ichiru were exactly alike as well, but Ichiru's hair was longer, it didn't make much of a difference. They were twins like she and Yumiko, two halves of a whole. And yes they did have a valid reason to be so angry towards each other but, and as harsh as it sounded, Yuriko just wanted them to forgive and forget and just be normal brothers. Maybe Zero would lighten up if he had Ichiru around, they were the only family the other had. And now that Yuriko thought over it, she'd kill to have her little sister back.

"Huh, wheres Kiry- I mean, Zerorin? Hm Ichirun?" The chairman said, noticing that Ichiru was entering the room. This was where Yuriko got confused. "…what?"

"Z-Zerorin…? And I-Ichirun…?" Ichiru replied, looking really disgusted for whatever reason.

Was this some kind of…joke? Did adding 'rin' or 'run' to the end of someone's name mean something? Was it supposed to be funny? Should she be laughing right now? This was where the language barrier she had with everyone became obvious.

"_**Zero**___seems to be unable to leave Yuuki-chan's side because he's too worried about her. He's always been a worry wart." He stated, putting an unnecessary amount of emphasis on Zero's proper name.

"Oh, did Zerorin also nurse you back to health when you were sick as a child, Ichirun?"

At this point Ichiru looked extremely annoyed, "Call us properly 'Zero' and 'Ichiru' what's with that intimate act? Creepy!" He glanced at the confused Yuriko, "What?"

"Sorry but...what does adding rin or run to the end of someone's name do? Is it like san or chan...or something?"

Ichiru's eyebrows creased, "What the hell kind of question is-"

"Oh its just a pet name Yuriko-chan!" The chairman grinned.

"Which you're supposed to use for _four year old girls._" Ichiru continued with a snarl.

Yuriko giggled, "Oh~ I see then Ichirun."  
"Hey! Don't you start!"

"Well look at that, they are alike in one way they both have short tempers." Yuriko noted aloud from the corner of her eye she could see Zero walking in; actually he was doing the same thing Ichiru was doing before he came in.

"If you get angry at him so easily, you'll be at it for longer than you can take."

"Zero!" Ichiru gasped, as he dramatically ran over to cling onto Zero's arm. "What happened? Did this creepy man do something to you?" He said, pointing at the chairman while Yuriko just started in total confusion at them.

"…get off me! What, are you worried that someone other than you did something to me?" Zero stated, trying to get Ichiru off of him to no avail.

"Heh…Zero you realize that implies _so_ many things-"

"THE…THE SAME POSE! YOU TWO ENTERED THE ROOM WITH THE SAME POSE! WHAA! YUUKI WOULD HAVE BEEN AMAZED IF SHE HAD SEEN THIS! IT'S THE MYSTERY OF THE TWINS!" The chairman cried out in total utter astonishment.

"Huh, wait a minute! Why the hell are you clinging onto me?"

"Why because it bothers you of course! I want to annoy you" Ichiru stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hey…! Don't go taking pics…!" Zero snapped at the chairman, whom was busy snapping as many photos as possible of the two twins.

"Okay chairman, gimme the camera. Dinner awaits does it not?" Yuriko sighed, grabbing the camera from his hands as if it were a dangerous weapon of some kind. She didn't mind getting her photo taken with other people...but when she was on her own she just hated it.

And in the end dinner was an absolute disaster. Yuriko was more than sure Zero hated Ichiru more than he had when dinner had started. She was being sexually harassed and she couldn't utter a word of it. Ichiru kept stroking her thigh with the back of his hand, and eventually Zero noticed, kicked him in the shin for her, which then ended with Ichiru telling the chairman that Zero kicked him for no reason…one thing lead to another and soon both boys stormed from the dinner table.

Leaving Yuriko on her own to do the washing up. For the first ten minutes anyway, because soon dear 'Ichirun' came back and decided to 'help' Yuriko.  
"What do you want…?" She hissed, extremely pissed off with him. Honestly…if he didn't fuck the dinner up by sexually harassing her he might have ended up getting on with Zero again.

"Oh nothing, I just thought I should help you." He smirked, hopping up onto the counter next to her, sitting on it.

"Well aren't you a fucking well angel…" She mumbled, he just came here to watch her. That was it. Just to annoy her a little more than she already was.

Now, Yuriko was a nice person really she was. But if she was in bad humour, or feeling a bit irritable it was best to stay at least twelve feet away from her and talking to her was just out of the question.

"Now then…that debt-"  
"Ichiru, you know that sex can kill you?" She stated bluntly, looking at the sliver haired male as if it were an insult that had left his mouth.  
He blinked, what on earth was she talking about now, "P-pardon…?"  
"Do you even know what the body goes through during sex?"  
Ichiru shook his head, his eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Well I'll tell you; To start with the pupils dilate, the arteries constrict, your temperate increases, your blood pressure sky rockets, respiration becomes rapid and shallow, your heart races, the brain fires bursts of electrical impulses from nowhere to nowhere, secretions spit out of every gland, and the muscles tense and spasm like your lifting three times your body weight." She said coldly, completely and utterly quoting a TV show she watched way too much of. (And the only one she and Zero agreed was awesome by the way)

Ichiru was left sitting there wide-eyed. "Oh…" He gulped.

"Sex could kill you, now what was it you were saying about that debt?" She smiled sweetly, ah her evil plan had worked. _"Oh House the wonderful idea's you give me,"_ she thought gleefully.

"Oh…uh…about….u-uhm…I….uh….ehh…ehm…I-I'll have to re-think it, excuse me." He said quickly, fleeing from the kitchen. Now, he didn't know much about sex, all he did know was that it was supposed to feel really good but if it really did all of that to your body then he really didn't want to run that kind of risk...

Yuriko giggled evilly to herself as she continued washing the last of the dishes. And now she wouldn't have to loose…what ever little virginity she had left after that little stunt with Zero in the stables.

Honestly though, Zero didn't actually take her virginity really…kind of. He just touched her until she came. Then her fingered her a little and stopped. And she was pretty sure he could have gone further if he hadn't snapped out of that vampire-ish state when he did. Part of her enjoyed it and she didn't know whether she should shun that side of her or not.

"Yuriko, where's Ichiru?"

"Don't know. Don't care to be perfectly honest." She replied, flicking the water from her hands. "I just told him that sex can kill, so I don't think he'll be fucking me any time soon."

Zero blinked, "He always was a gullible idiot..." He walked over to Yuriko while she dried her hands. "About...about that time in the stables-"

"Zero. What happened the other day, well it never happened. Adults do it all the time, they have sex with someone and the next day they just forget all about it. Its not that hard, we don't talk about it anymore. That's it."

Zero stared at her wide eyed, "But…"  
"There's no buts about it, Zero. Its done. Its gone, that's that." She stated prudently, placing the towel back on the counter top.

"Yuriko...I don't think you understand-"

"I don't need to understand it Zero and neither do you. What happened in the stables just happened. It meant nothing-"  
"You said you loved me, so how can that kind of thing mean nothing to you?" Zero interrupted, feeling more than just confused. For the first time since she'd come here, Zero was starting to feel like the child in the conversation.

She said nothing for a few moments, "Because it meant nothing to you. There's no point on dwelling on it, there's more important things to do." She stated simply, her voice sounding out clearly. "But I _am_ happy that my first sexual experience was with you, Zero." She smiled at him. But it was that smile he hated. The one he could see straight through.

He needed to say it. He needed to say it now or he'd never be able to say it to her. She started walking out of the room when finally his voice sounded out.

"I'm glad too...that you were my first."

At first she stood there, her whole body seemingly frozen to the spot. Then she giggled, "You sounded like a fourteen year old boy."

Zero looked away, "Shut up..."

"_I want to kiss him again..."_

Yuriko shook her head, "I'm going to go back to my dorm."

"Alright...you coming back?"

"Probably." She replied absently as she left the kitchen.

...

"Long time no see…"  
Bored tone of voice that had an odd seductive ring to it, yep it was Rima. "Oh fancy meeting you here, how've you been?"  
"Not the best…Shiki still isn't back, neither is Ichijo…I'm getting a bit worried…" Rima admitted, but it wasn't like she would lie to Yuriko either. Rima considered her a close friend even if Yuriko was a bit weary around her. She was still a lovely girl and extremely loyal.

"Ah don't worry about it, I'm sure they'll be back soon." She grinned over at the red haired female standing in front of her.

There was a moment of silence between the two, while Yuriko thought it was awkward, Rima was actually busy musing about…well the girl standing in front of her, examining her as it seemed. She looked different. For one thing she was letting her hair grow, normally she would keep it the same length, just at her jaw line; but now it was almost starting to reach her shoulders. Also her fringe needed a cutting too, and she was still in her uniform. Whenever she was off duty she would usually make the effort to get dressed but not this time, her posture was more slouched than usual…and her eyes…

"Uh…Rima your scrutiny is making me uncomfortable dear."

"Ah…sorry, its just you look different, are you okay?"  
"Fine! Why? Is…is it my hair? Or…-"  
"Its everything…its like your not bothered with your appearance anymore, I know you pretend like you don't care what you look like when really you do try and look decent. But right now…its like there's something other than looks troubling you." Rima stated, giving her friend a slightly concerned look.

"…Rima…I'm…Yuuki's sick or something…so I've been worried and stuff…"

What Rima had said was true, Yuriko didn't put make-up on or anything but she did tidy herself up a little everyday. And it was now she realized that she hadn't been doing that for a long while. She hadn't gone out in weeks…just her general routine had changed completely and she had only realized it now. No wonder Kumiko was asking questions, she hardly read her manga anymore and that must scream 'something's seriously wrong here!'

"Oh…well don't get so upset over it. Yuuki will get better, and then everything will go back to normal." And Rima gave Yuriko one of her rare smiles.

"Right! What am I getting my panties in a twist about here? Well, I should go, stuff to do." She smiled back.

"Mmm, I'll see you later then." Rima sighed, walking back to the moon dorms.

Honestly she was as tired as Yuriko probably was. Kaname Kuran had herself, Aido and Kain running around after Yuuki for some reason. But of course, she wouldn't question it. If the dorm head commanded she had to obey. He was a pureblood after all.

"I'm so tired…god making me do such a weird job all day…"  
The door creaked open, and as Rima looked up she saw a familiar face, "Shiki…? Where have you been?"

…

Yuriko didn't bother changing out of her school skirt but instead put leggings on underneath it. She threw on a top and a light jacket and began making her way back to the house. It was around eleven at night by now and it was bitterly cold. There was a slow steady snow beginning to fall and Yuriko was beginning to regret her choice of clothes.

"Damn cold...stupid..." She hissed to herself as she shoved her key into the door. She brushed the snow off herself and just as she was about to kick her shoes off she heard a loud bang, as if the door had been slammed open. "Wha...-"  
Without a second thought she ran upstairs but by the time she'd gotten to Yuuki's room...

"Zero...what...?"

"Shit...shit...!" Zero hissed, bolting out of the room.

"Woah! Wait, Zero! What happened! Ah, goddamn it, wait for me!" She called after him, as she followed behind him. He was speeding on ahead of her, she could barely keep up with him.

He paused as he bumped into Ichiru, glared at him and continued running on. By now Yuriko had caught up with him.

"Z-Zero! Seriously what happened?"

"I dunno Yuriko!" He gasped out, bolting up the stairs of the school.  
Yuriko could feel a stitch developing in her side but she kept going. Something was seriously wrong, Zero didn't run for nothing.

Zero burst through the door and stalked over to the very edge of the rooftop, Yuriko followed him but she didn't go to the very edge, just close enough to see over the edge. "I know that smell far too well…its Yuuki's blood…"  
_"Yuuki's blood? But then if Kuran bit her that means..."_

"The presence of two vampires! Kuran! You turned Yuuki!" He roared, aiming his gun straight at that man's head.

"Stop it Zero!" Yuuki pleaded, running out in front of him, "This person…! He's…my big brother!" She shouted, loud enough for Yuriko to hear too. "I'm…sorry…Yuriko…I'm so sorry…Zero…" She whimpered before falling into her brother's waiting arms as the thick fog covering her memories faded.

Yuriko stood there wide eyed, just staring at Yuuki's limp body, "Sib…lings…?" She echoed quietly.

"I'd have been happier if I were born her real older brother…though your faces tell me that neither of you believe it." Kaname remarked.

"What…the hell? Yuuki just called you her brother and now your fucking denying it!" Yuriko shouted, her voice breaking.

"Heh…there is no question that Yuuki is the daughter of the Kuran's, ask Kiryuu-kun. Even a pathetic level D like him should be able to tell." He stated coldly. "But at the same time he is with the hunters who hunt us down…what will you do?"

There was total utter silence as they watched the two Kuran siblings descend from the ledge of the building they were on. Yuriko gritted her teeth again, "You fucking bastard Kaname Kuran!" She yelled, tears just nearly spilling from her eyes.

...

…

…


	24. Yesterday I died, tomorrows bleeding

24. Yesterday I died, tomorrows bleeding...

_One hour earlier...  
..._

Kumiko lay in her bed, wide awake. According to Iwasawa, Yuriko still hadn't come back yet…

She'd been so worried about her as of late. She was sure that at one point, when she'd been playing with her hair some of it actually fell out. It wasn't one or two either...something was stressing that girl out and Kumiko wanted to know what but at the same time she was frightened to know. Yuriko was the most laidback girl Kumiko had ever come across, for something to stress her out to the point where she was loosing her hair...well it was scary to even think about it.

"Kumi-chan?" A small knock on her door.

"Nene? Whats up?" She sighed.

"No…nothing…I'm…I can't sleep…Yuri-chan's been acting really off…I'm scared for her and…I saw her running somewhere with Kiryuu-san…they looked really worried…" Nene said slowly.

Kumiko gritted her teeth, "I bet its because of Yuuki…she's always worrying them…"

Of course…Yuuki. Kumiko had always hated Yuuki. She was always in Yuriko's way, and she always seemed to push both Yuriko and Zero to the very limit of their emotions. Why did she do that to them? When she pushed Zero, she pushed Yuriko and then Kumiko. But Kumiko was only pushed because she wanted to help Yuriko and no one else. Yuriko was a very dear person to her, her only friend and sometimes they were real sisters.  
"Not on purpose-!"  
"How do you know?"  
Nene jumped as small tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, "I'm sorry…I just…I'm…"  
"S-Scared?"  
Kumiko nodded. "What's going on? Why do I have such a bad feeling...?" She whispered, more to herself than to Nene.

"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here."

Nene yelped and Kumiko instinctively pulled Nene into her arms to protect her.  
Kumiko jolted, "S-S-Shiki-senpai?" She gasped suddenly, but he wasn't alone. Ichijo-senpai was with him too. "W-What do you two want?" She demanded.

That statement brought a smirk across Shiki's face and a frown to Ichijo's.

"Nothing much…I'm just feeling a bit peckish right about now." He said coolly, licking his lips.

Kumiko looked at him cautiously, holding Nene close to her. Something wasn't right here. Shiki never used to act like this; she was sure from the many times Nene had dragged her to the little twilight fan parades.  
"Kumiko-san…I think its best-" Ichijo started slowly, only to be cut off by 'Shiki'  
"Shut up Takuma~ Your ruining my fun~" Shiki trilled, glaring over at the blonde.

Nene trembled, "W-What?" She looked over, "Why are they here...?" The little blonde girl's eyes should have lit up by now but instead she moved closer to Kumiko.

Shiki sat down on the bed beside them, too close for comfort. "Do you believe in vampires, girls?"

Nene's eyes were wide as she shook her head, "T-There's no such thing as vampires o-or anything l-l-like that!"

"Well you better start believing in them dear, because your looking right at one." Shiki bore his fangs and suddenly grabbed Kumiko away from the bed and bit the tall dark haired girl's neck, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

Nene yelped and her eyes went wide in her head, her mouth completely agape. She was petrified with fear, too scared to even scream. Kumiko seemed to be the same.

"Rido-sama-!"

Takuma stopped, clenching his fists. He couldn't do or say anything to stop Rido anymore. He was using Shiki's body as a way to keep Takuma in line...

He was surprised that Kumiko wasn't putting up a fight, then again she was too scared to do anything at all...just like poor Nene.

He was going to drain both girls of their blood. Kumiko's heart beat was fading, little by little. Until it was no more.

'Shiki' grabbed Nene and she started thrashing around aggressively, screaming her lungs out. "I-Ichijo-senpai! Please...! help-"

"I'm sorry Nene-chan...I can't."

'Shiki' bit her and covered her mouth as he'd done with Kumiko. Nene put up a fight surprisingly enough. She wasn't going down easily. She scratched at his hands and kicked her legs frantically, twisting her body around but it wasn't doing her any good. Soon she started to feel dizzy.

"_Please... I don't want to die yet! Please don't let me die! Kumi-chan...! Yuri-chan...! Help me..."_

…

…

...

Yuriko was still in shock, trying to desperately to comprehend what had just happened.

Yuuki was a pureblood…from the very start but she was somehow changed into a human? So…did that mean that now Yuuki was a vampire she was different? No…While she was a human she became who she was so changing into a vampire shouldn't change her should it? But…a pureblooded vampire…

This was so confusing, what the hell was going on and why?

It occurred to her that Zero was standing there as silently as she was, clenching his fist and she had caught him right on time. He clenched it so hard that he drew blood. "Zero!" She snapped, he ignored her as he absent mindedly watched the drop of blood fall from his hand to the person standing below.

'_Senri…Shiki…?'_

Yuriko looked down as well, but being the human she was, she couldn't tell who it was at all. Zero turned away, he couldn't bare to stand up here any longer. Yuriko followed him, neither of them said anything as they descended the stair case. Yuriko didn't know what to do or where to go…and so far Zero didn't seem to mind the fact that she was following him. Normally he would want to be alone when he was upset but apparently not this time, because he would have shooed her away…and even so Yuriko didn't feel like saying anything. This whole situation still confused the hell out of her.

As they exited the building, Yuriko heard something. Something that sounded like crashing and…lightning?

She turned around intent on turning the near by corner only to have her arm grabbed by Zero again. "Don't…" He growled. Oh he knew exactly who was fighting and he knew that Yuriko would try to help and in the best case scenario she'd get hurt. Right now, he just couldn't let her do something even remotely dangerous.

"But what if- Ahh…! Zero stop dragging me! Your hurting me…! Zero!" Yuriko complained, trying to fight against Zero's grip. No use what so ever.

"Shut up…" He said, glaring back at her. It was a bit too hard and more than enough to Yuriko to do as she was told, though she still worried about who was fighting and why.

Yuriko got lost in her thoughts again, completely unsure about the situation at hand. Yuuki was a vampire who'd been turned into a human for ten years…and now she'd been turned back into a vampire by her _brother _who was also a pureblood. That was the jist of it but _why?_

Zero was still dragging Yuriko along, and she was being extremely quiet. He looked back at her again, she was thinking. He knew because she was biting her lip, something she often did when she was deep in thought. She was trembling, she was frightened, what was she thinking of?

"Yuriko stop it." He said coldly, as he continued guiding her into the dorms. She thought far too much sometimes and always ended up scaring herself like this. It just wasn't good for her.

She jolted slightly at the harsh sound of Zero's voice, "Stop…what?"

He shook his head and paused as he opened the door to his room, "Nothing…your staying in here with me. I don't want you being alone…something's going on and until I know what it is, your not leaving my sight, understand?" Zero almost pushed Yuriko into the room and held her shoulders firmly as he spoke the words, looking her straight in the eyes.

He let her go and made his way over to his bed. He sat down on the end of his bed. Yuriko stood leaning against the wall, staring at the ground.

"I won't bite you y'know…you can sit down if you want to…" He mumbled, resting his arms across his legs.

She nodded silently and sat down beside him, "Uhm...Zero...?"

He suddenly pulled out his bloody rose, "Zero what are you-?"

"Did you think coming here to talk would make any difference…?" He started slowly, Yuriko didn't move. She could almost feel how furious he was, so she just stayed quiet and watched the door.

"Discussing things like transforming humans into vampires…but of course you transformed from a vampire into a human. On the other side of this door I sense an arrogant pureblood who toys with humans." He hissed, glaring at the person behind that door.

"Yes Zero…I'm glad you understand. I'm no longer the Yuuki that Zero knows, because the vampire Yuuki ate her after all."

There was a long period of silence, "Get lost…" Zero finally said, his tone bitter and cold.

"_The vampire Yuuki…ate the other one?" _This was almost twice as confusing for Yuriko herself, so the human Yuuki was gone. And now there was this arrogant son of a bitch in her place?

Zero lowered his gun once he was sure that pureblood was gone. "…she's not the Yuuki we used to know. So don't think about it anymore." He growled, pushing himself off the bed as he made his way over to his drawers.  
Yuriko got up as well, cautiously walking over to Zero. As if he were a dangerous agitated animal. "Zero-"  
"Get out." He interrupted, aggressively unbuttoning his shirt.

"But you said you didn't want me to-"  
"Then turn around!" He growled, glaring back at her.

Yuriko did as she was told but she couldn't ignore the sounds of clothes falling to the floor. She could feel her face heating up and she covered her face with her hands.

Zero was so pissed off right now. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to be in here after all. When Zero got pissed, he got aggressive and last time she was with him when he was this upset she ended up almost loosing her virginity to him. Almost.

She yelped as she was suddenly spun around and within milliseconds she found herself pinned to the bed. "Z-Zero...calm down now, lets think rationally about this shall we...?" She said nervously, trying to make out whether Zero was on another vampire high or not.

"Do you love me?"

Yuriko blinked, "P-Pardon...?" She croaked, staring up at Zero. Who was shirtless actually, with the button of his trousers undone.

"Do you love me, Yuriko?" He repeated, a serious but desperate look in his amethyst eyes.

She timidly reached out and touched his cheek gently, "Of course I love you...Zero."

"Then show me..." He whispered, still staring directly into Yuriko's eyes.

"Show..." She chuckled darkly, "You're so cruel...you know that Zero?"

"Just show me..."

Yuriko was sure she'd heard his voice breaking there. And then it occurred to her; Zero had just lost the love of his life. He was heartbroken, he probably felt unloved...unwanted. Maybe that was why she was getting Yuriko to do this. He didn't love her, but he just needed to feel like _someone _loved him at least.

Without another word, Yuriko pushed herself up on her elbow and gently pressed her lips against Zero's, resting her hand on the back of his neck. To her surprise he responded immediately, caressing her lips with his own. They kissed like that for what seemed to be forever to Yuriko, he wasn't rushing her and he wasn't desperate either. He just slowly moved his lips with hers, gently moving down so she no longer had to hold herself up with her elbow. She never wanted it to end...

Suddenly Zero pulled back and pushed himself off her abruptly. "Sorry..." He muttered quickly, shuffling over to his sink.  
"Zero...?"

There was silence for a few moments, Yuriko sat up and stared at Zero's form hunched over his sink. She couldn't really tell what he was doing, she could hardly see his face; his silvery hair was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.

"You should...just go back to your dorm and rest...Yuriko..."

Her tone was one of confusion as she spoke, "Ah...right..."

"Just don't leave the sun dorms until I come to get you...okay?"

Yuriko nodded in reply, "Mmm." And with that she opened the door and left the room.

"…thank you…" He whispered softly to himself.

When he was sure she was gone he started stripping himself down, changing into something a bit more comfortable. He flopped down onto his bed and closed his eyes.

He knew now he'd have something to live for, someone to return to. It hurt...what he had discovered cut so much deeper than he ever could have imagined but Yuriko eased the pain. The thought that she would be there for him no matter how this disaster ended comforted him.

But somewhere in the darkest parts of his mind he wanted nothing more than to take advantage of her back there. To completely ravage her body again, making her go insane under his touch. He wanted to strip her right there and then, he just wanted to have sex with her, he wanted to forget everything that was going on around him and let himself be lost in Yuriko's sweet infectious passion.

All of…her blood was starting to change, all of Yuuki's blood; and it was driving him totally utterly insane. Oh dear god he wanted Yuriko to get back in here, it all seemed to go away with her around…but he couldn't. She needed to rest too. So he just tried to deal with it on his own.

It was all moving, and he felt the urge to drink her blood again. Just to calm it all down, and it sickened him beyond anything. He craved it to the point where he could hardly breath. He cradled himself on his bed, the purple hue of the early morning just about peeping in through the window.

He cursed at himself, why the hell couldn't he control this urge? He wanted her blood so much, and he just wanted her to kiss him gently like she did before, her scent, her taste, everything. He just wanted everything from her. Was this that bloodlust again? But she was nowhere near him anymore...so why would he be reacting in such a way? Was it possibal for bloodlust to come on even when the person wasn't around?

He was swearing in pain and shame; for not able to control his hunger, his urge. He needed Yuriko's blood before he went completely insane.

He sat up with great effort and forced himself to stand as his hands held the bed for assistance. But he didn't know what the hell that would do; his hunger wouldn't be tamed. He couldn't go after her now. His eyes were a red hue and his fangs were fully enlongated. There were students on the corridor right now and though there were only a few he didn't want to risk it. Besides she needed to rest...she must have been so tired. But still the beast within craved her. That monster inside of him would never be satisfied…no matter how much Yuriko gave it. It was never enough…he would always need more…

…

…

…


	25. Paradise Lost

25. Paradise lost

"…riko….uriko…Yuriko! Yuriko! Wake up!"  
The little girl opened her eyes sluggishly, "Noooo…Zeeerroo…not…yeeett…" She moaned, unaware of who it was who had miraculously managed to wake her up.

"…Saaaayoriii?" She hummed, looking sleepily up at the ginger haired girl. Yuriko grinned, "…You knooow, I had the best dreeam everrr-"  
"Yuriko! Now isn't the time to be acting like this…look…the chairman's told everyone that classes are canceled and that we can prepare to go home for a while."

Yuriko sat up and stared blankly at Sayori for a few minutes before registering what was happening. "Wait...why?" She asked.

"I'm not sure...but some students have said they saw something weird going on outside. It could all just be rumors but..."

Yuriko gulped; something told her that some vampire stuff was going on here. Something was going on and she needed to find out what.

"I went to go ask Zero-kun if he'd seen Yuuki but…he wasn't in his room so-"  
Yuriko jumped up from her bed, "What do you mean he wasn't in his room?"

Sayori jolted, she'd never seen this side of Yuriko. From the moment she mentioned what the chairman had said she looked so panicked. She was usually so carefree and Sayori had initially thought that she would grin sleepily and say something that made no sense and go back to sleep.

"I-I knocked and there was no answer, and then I looked out the window and saw that Yagari-sensei was taking him somewhere. Why? Is something going on…?"

She went into panic mode and bolted from the room, Yagari taking Zero somewhere could mean a thousand things but seeing as that man had supposedly resigned from being a teacher…it narrowed down to him being here because of hunter duties. None of this was good, the alarm bells in her head were ringing.

She burst through Zero's door. As Sayori had said; he wasn't there. There wasn't even a trace of him.

"Crap...crap...! What the hell is going on here?" She hissed to herself. Her chest was aching, she had no idea what was going on. She was so scared, scared of what she didn't know. For all she knew something catastrophic could be going on, Zero could be...

"Yuriko-chan…?"

"…Takuma?" She gasped, "Where...where the hell have you been all this time?" She snapped, feeling anger bubble up inside of her.

"Yuriko-chan now isn't the time for accusations-"  
"Oh! Then how about you explain to me why it isn't a good time!"

He looked away, "…I…I only found out what was going to a happen a few days ago, and I couldn't tell you because I was under orders from my grandfather." He explained slowly, "Yuriko, if I had the power to, I'd have told you everything and I wouldn't have let this happen but…things never go the way you expect them to."  
Yuriko was enraged, he could almost taste it. She had every right to be angry right now. She had every last single right to feel however she wanted to. This was all his fault, all he had to do was refuse his grandfather but he knew that it would make matters worse. If he hadn't have accompanied Rido here then there would be more bodies missing…But now, he'd decided that he would try to put things right, starting with Yuriko.

"What...are you going on about?" She looked so confused and frustrated now.

"…listen…there are many things going on right now, and I'm going to try to explain. You don't have to understand but-"  
"Tell me everything." Yuriko stated, a serious look in her eyes that made her seem much older.

Takuma took a deep breath and let it out, "As you know, Kaname changed Yuuki back into a pureblood. Ten years ago, the Kaname's family was attacked and to protect her secret daughter Juuri Kuran-sama sealed Yuuki's memories and vampire side, but she sacrificed herself to do so. The one who had attacked the Kaname- and Yuuki's family was their own uncle, and Shiki's father…Rido Kuran." He paused, waiting to see if Yuriko wanted him to keep going.

"Rido…?"  
"A very powerful and extremely corrupt pureblooded vampire of the Kuran clan. For ten years his body was trying to revive itself, it had been torn to pieces on that day ten years ago, you see. Rido took over the body of Shiki and infiltrated the school, he's after Yuuki."

Yuriko kept her eyes locked on the blonde noble, "Like Shizuka took over Maria's..." Yuriko stated, she was scared. She didn't want to know anymore. Her enemy, the one who had done all this was a bloody pureblood. A Kuran no less.  
"Yes. But his body has been revived now and he's got servants both inside and outside the academy. The ones outside are on their way and the ones inside have been causing havoc since the early hours of the morning. Thats why the chairman isn't allowing the students out."

Yuriko took a shaky breath, "I-Is that it...?"

Takuma closed his eyes, "No...Yuriko. I'm afraid I have...horrible news. While Rido was using Shiki's body he drained four students of all their blood..." He started slowly, watching as Yuriko's expression changed, "Two of them were Kumiko and Nene..."

Yuriko's hands were shaking as she brought them up to her face, "No...no..! No!" She cried out and collapsed to the floor on her knees. "Why…? Why…?" She sobbed as Takuma knelt down beside her and held her, putting his sword down.

"I'll kill him…! I'll fucking kill that fucking pureblood…! He's dead…! So dead!" She growled, still crying frantically. Takuma said nothing but stroked her hair, "I'm so sorry for leaving you like I did..."

Yuriko took a few deep breaths before replying to him, "You...had no choice right...its not your fault."

"Its not important…but I think that you should know that your not the only person who's life has been destroyed by this man. Kiryuu-kun…" He trailed again, "Shizuka-"  
"Shizuka had a lover that was an ex-human and was killed by Zero's parents I know that." And to be perfectly honest (and Zero would murder her for having such thoughts) she symapthised with Shizuka. If someone killed Zero...she'd do no less.  
"Yes…but, that man shouldn't have been on the list at all. He'd drank Shizuka's blood so he wouldn't become a level E. But seeing as Rido was Shizuka's fiancée he didn't like this idea one bit…and so he changed the list, knowing what would happen to the hunters who killed that person."

There was no way in hell Yuriko wasn't killing Rido now. Everything was his fault, absolutely everything. "And…the council, I apologize for looking into your business but the council thought that maybe that Rido let one of his servants slip free and…"

Takuma said no more, she was infuriated enough as it was. No, infuriated wasn't quite a strong enough word for the look in her normally gentle blue eyes.

"_**Everything is HIS fault."**_

Time was ticking for Takuma, he needed to say goodbye to Yuriko...

"Yuriko, I need to go now." He stood up once again, unwrapping his arms from around the small girl as he walked away. This was likely the last time he would see her… "Yuriko-chan…its alright if you never forgive me."

She didn't know what to say, should she forgive him? He was the one who had brought Rido here, he said it himself. But…

"Takuma…you're a very dear friend to me." She said, making the blonde pause as he was about to walk away. "I'd forgive you even if you were the one who had done all of those horrid things."

He looked back and saw her smiling at him, an image he kept in his mind. "I'm glad." He smiled back at her. But what was strange about that smile to Yuriko was it was a very sad one. A smile she knew very well herself.

"I mean it, you're my best friend! And you always will be!"  
"I know…" He smiled again, walking back over to the girl. "Yuriko…I love you."  
Yuriko felt as though she'd been dumped into the deep end of a pool. Her heart started aching...but she didn't love him that way. She loved Zero too much to love anyone else...finally she understood how Zero felt.

"I'm…sorry…but…I don't love you like that."

He sighed, "I understand. I just wanted to let you know…unless my next few plans don't work out either."

"Wait…what are you planning?"  
Takuma closed his eyes, walked over to Yuriko and kissed her gently on the cheek. He smiled brightly, "I'm sorry…It looks like…I might not see you later after all, Yuriko-chan."

She blinked and he was gone, "…fucking vampire speed! Takuma! Takuma get back here!" She called, running back down the corridor as she frantically called out. If he…wasn't going to 'see her later' then…"Takuma! Please answer me! Don't leave me! Please come back!" She called, searching through room after room with no sign of the blonde. She ran down to the hall of the sun dorms and burst out the door ignoring the few students who looked extremely concerned. He always said 'I'll see you later.' Always! And she always did see him again…but the thought of him...! No…this wasn't it! It couldn't be! She still had so many things she wanted to say to him! So many things that she wanted to do with him, she thought that maybe over the summer break they could go into town together, they had never done that…but now…

"Hey-" Ruka snapped, noticing the little brunette bursting from the sun dorms.

"Takuma!" The name echoed back with no answer. Silence…pure utter silence.

Ruka stared at the little prefect as she cried out again. "Takuma…I'm so sorry…please…don't go…I…" She fell to her knees in tears, "I…have that manga around here somewhere…I'm done with it so…you can have it back now…"

Ruka pitied her, but didn't approach her at all. What could she say? She didn't know Yuriko very well at all apart from the fact that she cared for Takuma very much. Of course she was bound to be upset over this.

There was nothing she could do to get him to come back he knew that but she just wanted him to come back and smile at her again and say; Only joking! But…he wasn't coming back. "Please…please…I promise…oh god…! Please…! Just come back….!" She whimpered, unable to stop herself from repeating all of these words. She stood up and began to run towards the main building again.

"Miss Ma-"  
"Leave her, Ruka." Kain said, holding his arm in front of the woman. "…just leave her alone."

Yuriko ran, crying her eyes out, she hadn't cried so hard not since her family was killed.

"Takuma…please…I'm sorry…I…I…I love you too…I do…its just that I love Zero as well…and…I promise that I'll love you back…I'll try to forget about my feelings for Zero and love you instead! Just please don't die! I can't live without you! You were always there for me…! You always made me laugh so hard that I'd cry. You taught me so much…you never asked of anything from me…except for the odd manga. But…you always gave it back no matter what, and I'd always forget…and I'm sorry for always knocking down your manga fort. You always laugh after I did that though…I…I…" She couldn't talk anymore. She loved him, she really did love Takuma…she loved him…His smile…She'd never see it ever again, he could never brighten those dim evenings ever again. She'd never get to build and then destroy his manga fort ever again, never see him…ever again…her best friend…she'd never see him again…

"I love you so much Takuma! I'm so sorry I didn't realize! Please…! Come back…!Takuma…! Takuma…! Takuma Ichijo…! Please…! Please…please…I'm sorry…please come back…please…I-I want to see you later…I really want to see you again…! You can't just leave me like this! I need your help! I can't…do this all by myself! Please! Takuma! I need you to know how much I love you…! Come back…! Please…please…I…" She broke down, she couldn't speak anymore. She collapsed back down onto her knees and cried.

"…Takuma…"

"_You were always with me no matter what! You always supported me…and you made me feel better whenever I was upset. You never failed to make me smile even when I was miserable. And even if I never gave you your manga back…you always gave mine back. Even if your hands were tied you always managed to. Even though you were always so busy…you always made time to see me whenever you could, you always helped me with my katana forms…and…I never realized how much you meant to me. You mean more to me than anything! I can forget about my feelings for Zero…I can…please…come back…I want you back, I want you to come back…please…please come back…"  
_"Your one pathetic stupid son of a bitch aren't you…?"  
She whipped around and dodged a needle. "Wha…?" A tall blonde haired woman stood in the shadows of a tree, grinning wickedly. She lunged at her with a sword, swinging mercilessly. Yuriko dodged every swing.

Suddenly Ruka appeared, she did something and the woman turned into dust. The tall ashen haired girl spun around with a stern look on her face, "What do you think your doing? Coming outside like this without a weapon? Are you trying to kill yourself?" She snapped, "You can cry over your losses later, right now this academy is in grave danger. You can either fight or stay inside. Your choice!"

Yuriko stared at Ruka for a few moments and decided to bolt for the sun dorms again. Zero had told her to stay inside no matter what...but after seeing that...

She ran into her dorm room and nearly knocked Iwasawa over on the way. "Hey watch- What the hell is that?"

Yuriko pulled out her sheathed sword without thinking and ran back out into the corridors.

All of her sparring with Takuma, it was all preparing for a day like this. When the academy and its students were in danger enough for Yuriko to have to fight. And as a prefect and a guardian it was her obligation to protect them with everything she had, even she died. Even if it wasn't her job she would still do it. She liked everyone in her class, they were really nice people even if more than half of them squealed over the night class. Not just the day class students but the night class students were in danger too, and as much as she didn't want to admit it. They weren't half bad either.

She wouldn't back down, not for anyone, not now. She walked quickly out of the back door of the sun dorms and locked it behind her.

"My…my…your a pretty one aren't you?"  
Yuriko looked up; a vampire. Her fight was starting her it seemed. "Go to hell!" She shouted, attacking the vampire killing it instantly. She felt a rush of adrenaline as she let all of her feelings go, using them to give her the strength and will to kill. She was fuming. Absolutely fuming at this Rido guy. Everything was his fault. Everything. He was the reason Yuuki became a human in the first place, the reason why Zero went through so much suffering, the reason why Yuriko went through so much suffering. Everything…even Takuma was suffering because of that bastard.

"Oh ho ho, we've got a tasty looking one here haven't we boys?"  
Yuriko gritted her teeth, there was a load of them. This wasn't good at all. "You wouldn't mind if we gave you to our master, would you dear?"

"Like hell I'll be another helpless human to be eaten by a bloodthirsty deranged vampire like him!" She snapped, attacking that one vampire and killing it.

Why was it that she could kill now…? Was it because she had killed her friend maybe? She didn't know but she was half glad that she could.

"How dare-"

She didn't let them speak any longer, she just started to attack them one by one, dodging their attacks while striking them with a fatal blow.

What happened next shocked her, Ruka appeared from nowhere and began helping her once again, "Go!" She snapped, watching the girl fight. She was surprised that she was fighting so well, and so very aggressively.

"Will you get!" Ruka dashed over and shoved Yuriko out of the way, almost accidentally pushing her into another vampire and if Yuriko hadn't have swung her sword when she did she would most certainly have been a goner.

Yuriko ran off as Ruka had told her to. As Ruka fought she felt extremely unnerved by that sword, it was giving off way more anti-vampire magic then it should have. It wasn't just a sword…she knew that much.

Yuriko began to run towards the moon dorms, logic told her that if Rido had been using Shiki's body…then he should be in Shiki and Ichijo's room. It made sense to her. On her way she ended up fighting a couple of vampires but not many. She burst into the moon dorms and into the room where that man was sure to be.

A tall dark haired man that resembled a Kaname with curly hair, but he looked like Shiki too. One eye was red while the other was blue. A sick grin etched across his face.

"Well hello there beautiful~" He trilled, standing up as he waltzed over to Yuriko.  
She came here to kill him, that was what she had decided, even know the fear was boiling inside of her…but why couldn't she move? Her body was frozen and she was trembling, she felt scared somehow...but she knew that somewhere inside of her that feeling was not her own.  
"You know, being a human must suck am I right? For one thing I can freeze you with fear like I am now." He mused, pacing around her.

"…I…" Apparently she couldn't speak either. Oh she was in such deep shit, this wasn't good. Now she was just being useless! She fought against the feeling with everything she had but it was no good.

"Oh~? Fesity aren't we?" He chuckled and wrapped one arm around her waist from behind, "Lets make a deal shall we? If you stay with me and become my slave, I'll change you into a vampire. How does that sound? Great right?"

"_I will never let you turn into something like that…even if it makes you hate me…" _Even though those words had been spoken to Yuuki before...they lingered in Yuriko's mind. She couldn't let this happen!

He slid his hand down her neck, opened his mouth and paused, "…ahh…your ruining my fun boy."

Yuriko couldn't look up but the blonde hair told her that it was most certainly Aido. He started down in shock, "You're...Rido Kuran-sama...!"

In that one moment his concentration slipped and Yuriko could move. She swung at Rido but missed, as she paused. Laughter came from behind her and she spun around. "I love it when they fight back…" He trilled, licking his lips.

Yuriko gritted her teeth, "You…you're the reason everything's been going wrong."  
Rido nodded mockingly, standing across the room from the girl. "Yes, I'm very proud of my work you know!" He grinned.

"I'll kill you."

The little girl ran at him and swung her sword, there was a sudden flash of light and before Rido could react that sword seemed to grow another blade at the other end of its hilt; she cut him.

Yuriko stood there in bemusement, staring at her now double ended blade. Why did it suddenly change shape like that?

"…oh your going to pay for that one, you little brat!" All of a sudden Yuriko was slammed into a wall, she dropped her weapon and found her self being choked by Rido. "Marigan-!"

"You. Don't interfere." Aido couldn't move, he was bound by that pureblood's will. All he could do was watch as the young prefect was tortured.

"I think you're too cheeky for my liking now..." He snarled, "You can't kill me, nor can you last in a fight with me for more than a mere second. Do you know why?" His grip on her neck tightened and Yuriko couldn't breath, she desperately tried scratching at his hands but it was no good, "You're _human _that's why." He threw her across the room.

Yuriko coughed and spluttered but before she could catch her breath again she was grabbed at the neck once more and held up, she felt so helpless...

"Humans are weak, no matter how hard you train and no matter how long you try and learn about us you can never win in a fight." He threw her again, this time she hit a wall, hard enough for her to choke up blood, "You girl, are particularly pathetic..."

Rido picked up her weapon as he walked over to the coughing girl who was on her hands on knees, "I know that..." She whispered, willing herself not to cry in pain.

He kicked her, "Indeed...although I must say, for a human you're very well proportioned..." Yuriko lay on her back, she looked up at the pureblood. Her head was bleeding and she was sure she must have a thousand other places that were bleeding now. He grinned at her...the way Zero did when they were in the stables before. But this time it was fear that coiled in her gut.

He placed the blade against her collar bone and slid it down her body, cutting her jacket, top and even her bra. She flinched and just as she was about to cover herself she felt her arms bound by something, something that felt stronger than a rope. She looked over at her arms; it was _blood._ It was like the blood whip Shiki used. Of course; this was Shiki's father.

"Hmm...~" Yuriko yelped as she felt the sensation of that pureblood licking his way from her stomach to her chest, "No...! Stop it!" She whimpered, he merely smirked at her and started massaging one of her breasts. "You don't like it...? Well I'll make you like it won't I..." He whispered against her neck.

"Uncle Rido!"

"I'm glad you're here…I've been waiting for you; The youngest and most energetic pureblood princess in this world." Rido grinned wolfishly.

It was Yuuki, and artemis had changed its shape too. It was a scythe now. Yuriko always wondered why Yuuki chose a rod instead of something more useful that would actually kill things. But now she knew why. "Nice to meet you, are you uncle Rido?" Yuuki greeted, so Rido was her uncle. "The eyes from far away…looking at me like you want to eat me…" She whispered.

"Alike…" Rido murmured, as he suddenly jumped up onto the roof with speed that once again could only be called inhuman.

Yuriko was no longer bound to the floor. She very carefully sat up, keeping her eyes on Rido. She was in so much pain, she let some tears escape her eyes. She really was weak after all. She'd thought she'd gotten stronger...but compared to Rido she was no match. He just threw her around like a rag doll.

She reached for her weapon slowly. "Yuriko! Run!" Yuuki called, she grabbed her weapon and like the total moron she was Yuriko stared at Yuuki looking extremely confused. "Why-?"

Before she knew it she was grabbed by the waist and hooshed up into the air, she yelped loudly. Vines, lots and lots of vines…all coming from who ever had grabbed her.

"What the fu-? Z-Zero?" She looked up and there was Zero. With a lot of vines protruding from his right arm, and they were coming out of him, moving like they were a part of him. And on a side note there were a few encircling her, but they weren't exactly hurting her. Just…holding her really. "When…did that happen…?" She whimpered, a little bit uneasy. Yuuki was in just as much awe as she was.

Zero looked down at Yuriko, "Does it hurt...?" He said softly. His looked changed upon realizing that Yuriko's clothes had been sliced down the middle.

He glared into the hole in the roof. _"That monster is so dead."_

"Yuriko...I thought I told you to stay in the dorms until I came to get you." He said finally.

"And you really thought I'd stay when I found out what was going on?" She rasped back.

The vines around her loosened, "Yuriko...I want you to go back to the house, stay there no matter what happens." He ordered, his eyes never leaving where that monster should be.

Yuriko was about to protest but instead she held her tounge. She'd just been given proof of how hopeless she was in a fight.

There was a loud bang from behind Zero, and Yuuki jumped in slicing whatever it was that was trying to attack him, "What are you doing…? You're the enemy." He stated. Tightening his ever strong hold on Yuriko.

"I decided a long time ago that I'd be Zero's ally, even if we are enemies too."

There was silence between the three for a while. "…Yuriko…go…" Zero said.

She glanced over at Yuuki who had her weapon held high, ready to attack at any moment. "I'll go when you let me go." She mumbled, looking around for a moment. Zero let her down and she ran for it.  
"Hey, that's not fair…" Rido said, appearing in front of Yuriko, "You're _my _food. It would be a waste not to drink such delicious human blood, what are you? AB negative perhaps?" He grinned, grabbing the little girl by her wrist. She swung her weapon at him, vines shot at him from behind and he was forced to let his food go, "Tsk…"

Not only was he raging at Rido for killing the only family Zero had left, but now he was insanely furious at the fact that he suggested drinking her blood and thus changing her. Zero wouldn't let that happen, no way in hell. He wouldn't let her go through such pain and torture. He wouldn't loose anything else. Not today.  
She kept running how she would get down she hadn't a clue she just had to get away from that monster first. Her body was aching but she forced herself to keep going.

Rido appeared in front of her again, this time it was Yuuki who attacked him. "Oh come now princess...surely you desire this girl's blood too hm?"

Yuriko was grabbed at again, but this time by her waist and before she could even take a breath, she could feel that familiar feeling of being bitten. But this time it was immediately followed by some kind of burning in her veins, spreading from where she had been bitten as she dropped her weapon in shock. And it hurt so much she couldn't even cry out.

Vines shot at Rido once again and he jumped back, letting the girl fall backwards. He cackled, "Oh does it hurt _that _ much? I must have accidentally used a bit too much venom. My bad…at least you'll become a vampire faster, or…maybe…" He gasped over dramatically, "I might have used enough to kill you. Oh dear…well…that's one down…"

Yuriko couldn't even think anymore she was in so much pain, all over her body, it just felt like there was fire burning through her. Like knives even, just sliding through her whole body. There wasn't a single nerve that wasn't in pain.

"Mmm…scrumptious. Just as I thought…" He smirked over at the hunter, licking the excess blood from his lips, "Yuuki~ You must try some of that girl before she dies-"

"You…how…how _dare_ you!" Zero roared, sending his vines lunging at Rido. Who once again disappeared. "You freak…! You're my prey. Behave as a hunted animal should behave and at least try to fight and escape your death…! Don't start preying on the only person I care for…or it'll kill you that much faster." He hissed, gritting his teeth. He could still see that Yuriko was in pain, but what could he do besides protecting her with his vines. He knew…he knew well that horridly painful feeling of your entire DNA structure changing, shifting. And with the amount of venom that bastard had used it wouldn't take as long for Yuriko to become a vampire as he did…but she would pass out soon enough…or so he hoped. He hoped to god that she wouldn't die on him…! The thought killed him, and made him even more furious at that pureblood. At all of the purebloods, they just kept ruining his life. Trying to control him. No more; he would kill every last pureblood that there was.

"Aw…is mister ex-hunter upset that I killed his girlfriend? Or perhaps its because I dealt the blow that killed your twin?" He trilled, watch as the young vampire's rage just kept increasing. "But you _ate _him. And you took back the power that should have been yours." He stated, "Yuuki! Just listen to this…this guy is as much of an evil vampire as I am! He devoured his very own brother, the flesh of his flesh!"

Yuuki looked furious, this man…he was the cause of everything bad that had happened! She had to kill him! "But you are making a big mistake, ex-hunter. it's the opposite. It is you who are my prey."

Yuuki jumped behind him, and swung her artemis at her uncle, intent on killing him with that one single blow. Just as it was about to hit that man, her attack was blocked by Zero's vines.

"Get back, don't you take my prey…" He hissed.  
"Why…? Zero…? This man is the very source of all the bad things that happened! He changed Yuriko…! I just wanted to…!" Yuuki accidentally let the hold on her powers go and sliced a cut across Zero's face. "Ah…"

Yuriko was breathing heavily, watching the scene from the corner of her eyes, through the thorned vines. Her nerves were still ablaze but she still couldn't voice how much pain she was in. "…ah…hah…" She could feel the tears streaming down her face. She wanted to die, she hoped she was dying how could she live knowing that she was something that Zero hated…Zero hating her…was unthinkable.  
Yuuki had been thrown off the roof and now Zero was fighting with Rido…her eye sight was going blurry. She wasn't sure if it was because of her tears or if she was passing out. God, she hoped she was just passing out...

Moments later the vines started moving aggressively around her, "Kiryuu! I'll take Yuriko away from here, so calm down! Jeez, I'm trying to help!" Aido snapped, the vines retracted and he finally picked the little girl up.

He couldn't believe what was happening, and now…Yuriko was becoming a vampire? Well, as soon as he got this girl to safety he had to go 'cheer up the day class girls' under Yuuki…sama's orders…

...

_I screamed, lurching forward, those bloody images still deep within my mind, unwilling to leave me alone. Why? Why wouldn't they just go away…I just wanted to sleep peacefully even if just for a few minutes. But the moment I drifted off all of it came back to me. And I'd wake up like this, crying, feeling so empty inside it hurt. It hurt so much…_

_At those times…when I did scream, Yuuki would come in without a word and hug me. And I'd cling onto her, like she was the very air I was breathing. I had no right to seek help from her at all…yes, she was willing to help me but it was too much._

_And even…right now, while my body is in so much pain and changing. All I want is for Yuuki to come back and hold me like she did before, that's what sisters do right? It doesn't matter who's older or younger, if one is in pain the other will come to their aid.  
All…all I wanted…was just for us to live like a normal family, even if Zero was a vampire…no it would have been better if there was no such thing, so we could all be living the way we should have.  
Zero would still have Ichiru, and who knows? Maybe…they would have gone to this school? Yuuki would be living with her real family, not having to worry about anything. And her mum too, if they were all human…she wouldn't have to worry about Yuuki being a vampire or not. And me? I'd still be in Ireland with Yumiko…I'd be in school, I'd have all my friends…_

_But now…Yuuki Cross is gone forever…Ichiru is gone, Nene, Kumiko and even Takuma…they're all gone…I'm a vampire too…or I'm becoming one and its inevitable. Zero's life has been turned upside down by purebloods from the very start._

_Where…did everything start going so wrong again…?_

_When Maria came? No…everything started with Yuuki, with Rido…that…he's the one who did all of this. All I needed to do was fight, I didn't even have to kill him, as long as he died I didn't give a shit. But is it just me or am I always in the way…?_

_I killed vampires…_

_Kumiko…I'm so sorry… And poor Nene-nee-chan…I…couldn't save you, I didn't even know you were dead…Takuma…where are you? What are you doing…and…are you dead? Or did what you say mean something else…Yuuki…my little sister. I tried my best to be a good big sister, do you remember? That day when me, you, Zero and Tsumi Dai, the chairman's niece went to that festival? You started sulking because you couldn't get that fish. And I spent all of my money on that thing until I got it for you. Of course the poor fish died a few weeks later, but…you were so happy…and that made me happy too. And I think…it made Zero smile a little. You were the only one who made him smile a little every now and again, for that I want to thank you so much…for a while I thought; If Zero eventually does grow a pair and ask you out, then I'll encourage you to go for it. And…if things went further…and you two had a family together…got married or whatever, then no matter how much it hurt me, no matter how much it killed me…if you two were happy, then I'd smile too and move on with my life. Zero was meant for you and no one else. Even if I do love him from the bottom of my heart…_

_There's so many things that I wanted to say to all of you…but I've lost that chance. Its true…all humans take everything for granted…_

_Yuuki Kuran…it still hasn't hit me that you are a pureblooded vampire and Kaname's younger sister. I…want to talk to you one more time…maybe the other Yuuki hasn't faded yet. Maybe I still have a chance…I need to see you again, Yuuki._

_..._

"…Yu…Yuuki…!" She jolted forward, reaching out. "…ah…no…please…"

Her throat was absolutely killing her, and her teeth were….throbbing? Yuriko got up from her bed and looked in the mirror. She screamed, "T-That's…that's not me…i-it couldn't be…!" She whimpered.

Her eyes were bright red…and her…she had fangs as well.

Rido had bitten her only moments ago! How could she be a vampire already…? She collapsed onto her bed, holding her throat. "…so…thirsty…uh…"

This really hurt, she felt like she hadn't drank anything in days. And this was what Zero had to put up with for nearly four years…? If he held it all back then she would too. She used every ounce of strength she had to try and push back that hunger. It worked, but she didn't know how long she could hold out. She still felt weak from…everything really. She still didn't understand how that venom went through her so quickly. But she didn't dwell on it. She was a vampire now and there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing at all.

She looked over at the clock and realized it must have been hours since she passed out. Her clothes were still torn and she was sitting on the couch in the living room of the house.

She swung her legs over the edge of the couch and stood up; she expected to feel pain but she felt nothing. "Yuriko...?"

"Yuuki…"  
There she was. Yuuki Kuran.

There was silence between the two girls. Yuuki had her coat on. Of course she was leaving...she was with Kaname now.

"Yuriko...I'm so sorry. I couldn't save-"

She threw her arms around Yuuki, letting out a choked sob. "_I'm _sorry...! I should have been able to fight him! If only I was stronger...I could have killed him long before you came and none of this..."

Yuuki wrapped her arms around Yuriko, "The other…Yuuki is still inside, but she's slowly melting into the other…if you want to talk to her." Yuuki said carefully. She could feel it…Yuriko was most definitely a vampire now, and the human side of her was just begging her to take her blood, to subside her soon to come insanity even if just a little bit.

"I still…my head still won't accept the fact that you're a vampire for some reason. You know me right? Nothing hits me until its too late, but I thought that this time I should-"  
"…you…you need blood too don't you? If I was still…the human Yuuki, I'd let you drink from me…just like I did with Zero…so please…"

Yuriko couldn't help but cry silently again, "…Why…did things happen this way? It…would have been better if we were normal sisters wouldn't it? I know…I'd be an awful big sister, always teasing you for everything…" She cried, holding Yuuki tightly, frightened that she would melt away into that other Yuuki. "It would have been better if we really were born as sisters…! Without vampires being around…! I just wanted to be born a normal sister to you…! I don't want you…to be a vampire…!"

By this point, Yuuki was crying as well, "…Mhm…Yuriko…" She sobbed into her hair. This really was the last time she could act like this around Yuriko. She always loved her…even if she thought she wasn't a good big sister, Yuuki always felt that way. Like Yuriko was her big sister, and even though he was older than her Zero was her younger brother. He sure did act like one, he never took care of himself. She and Yuriko used to always nag him, but now…it was all on Yuriko.

"Living under the same roof…going to the same school…having the same dreams…liking the same person…! Having a fight…making up…arguing over stupid things…I…I really wanted….to live as normal sisters…like that…! And…yet…all of this…happened! Why?"

They both cried in each other's arms for a long while, just sobbing in each others arms until they both fell to their knees. Yuriko held Yuuki close, and Yuuki sobbed on her shoulder. It really did look like Yuriko was her big sister for once.

"…Onee-chan…I think…you should…"

Yuriko knew what Yuuki wanted her to do, she sunk her fangs into her neck and ate the very last piece of that human Yuuki. Her blood tasted phenomenal, she felt like it was strength, flowing from Yuuki's body into her own. And all of a sudden she could _see _her memories, her feelings, everything.

Yuriko pulled her fangs out and looked at Yuuki. "Purebloods…aren't supposed to cry you silly goose." She grinned, ruffling her long brown hair. "No more crying over this, okay?"

Yuuki was in shock, but she wiped her eyes and nodded. Yuriko smiled at her and stood up, holding her hand to help Yuuki up as well. "Hey…I don't hate you, Yuuki. I'm just angry at you…and when I see you again…" Her look seemed to darken, "I'm going to mess up your hair until you've got an afro, ya hear me?" She joked, ruffling her hair some more before running up the stairs.

Yuuki smiled, the very last smile… "Ahh…! Please don't do that! You know how long it takes me to do my hair in the morning!"

"…Bye-bye…" Yuriko smiled, turning the corner to go into her room. Yuuki waved back… "…goodbye…Yuriko-nee…"

...

By the time Zero had finished up getting Ichiru's body, it was almost noon. He shuffled back into the house, glancing quickly into the sitting room. "…Yuriko?" He mumbled, she was sleeping on the couch again. She always did that, she'd just lay down and fall asleep on that very couch. She'd changed into a pair of jeans and a top, apparently she'd had a shower as well because her hair seemed damp.

He walked over and sat by her on the floor, with his head resting near hers.

She was a vampire as well…and he could faintly smell Yuuki's scent off of her, meaning that they both said goodbye in the end. He knew that she also must have drank her blood…but he didn't seem to mind, actually he felt a little bit relived. He knew that some day…without that man's blood she would fall to a level E. But at least now he knew that wouldn't be for a while. His eyes shut, no he wouldn't be able to sleep he was sure of that. But he definitely needed to rest and he felt safe with her.

Her eyes opened and she mumbled something quietly to herself, "…Oh…hi…" She slurred sitting up. He opened his eyes again, watching as her small frame began to push herself off the couch into a sitting position.  
Yuriko had no idea as to what she should say, or should she say anything at all? Maybe she should just go into the kitchen and make herself some tea…and attempt to make Zero some coffee, that sounded like a good idea to her. So she stood up and started making her way into the kitchen, he stood up suddenly and grabbed her fore arm.

"…where are you going?" He snapped quickly, looking extremely worried.

"I…I was just going to make you some coffee…?" She replied questionably.  
"…I'm fine, I don't need that. Just stay here for now."  
Yuriko gave him an odd look but sat back down on the couch anyway. Silently. Saying nothing, what was there to say anyway. Zero obviously knew she was a vampire by this point. So there was no need to bring that sore subject up. She didn't want to speak of these last twenty four hours anymore, she just wanted to forget about them and move on. Pretending like Yuuki Cross just…

"…now what?" She muttered, now what would happen. Without Yuuki around things were going to be quiet and there would be no mistake about that.  
"We…I think we're supposed to move on…" Zero replied, his eyes never seeming to leave the floor.

"Right…"

More silence, but none of it was awkward they were just deep in their own thoughts.

Takuma, Nene and Kumiko. Her three closest friends were gone, for good. Yuuki, her dear sister was gone. But she still had Zero…a very broken looking Zero. But she would do her best to help him, even if her scars never healed as long as he was okay then.

"Things will be okay…they'll get better- oh what am I saying…" Yuriko finished with a heavy sigh.  
"…stay here." Zero muttered again.

"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. Do you seriously think that I'd leave you now? Oh no, no way in hell. I'm never leaving your side-"  
"What about when you drop to a level E?"

Yuriko faltered, what should she say now? "…I-I'll haunt you…or something like that." She mumbled, feeling a little bit childish.

"Reassuring knowing that I'll have a ghost following me around…"

"Following you around and watching over you."

It seemed like once a conversation started it would end immediately. Neither of them had the mental or emotional capacity to deal with a simple conversation.

"…did I ever tell you…about that thing…ah…"  
"What…Yuriko. Just tell me…"

"_Just talk to me...please"_

"My mum she once told me…that if she ever died that I could forget the pain if I wanted to. I wouldn't be hurt anymore but…I would be able to have someone important to me either…I would just be numb and back…back when my family died, I thought that being numb didn't sound so bad…the pain was horrible I just wanted to forget it but then I thought… 'wouldn't it be better to say that I carried that pain, rather then saying I just forgot about it'…because later I knew all that pain would come back anyway…and if I could carry it from the start then it would be so hard…but it is and it always will be…even so I keep carrying that pain and lots of others too…and you know, sometimes I really do feel like forgetting about it all…but then I remember you…your important to me…and when I think about not feeling anything towards you it hurts even more, do you get it…?" She said slowly.

"So what your saying to me is, that if you die you want me to bare that pain. Along with the pain of loosing Yuuki and Ichiru-"

"Wait...! What?" She yelped, "Ichiru...Ichiru is dead too?"

Zero's look darkened, "Yeah...he tried to get revenge. He tried to kill Rido to avenge not only Shizuka...but our parents too." He said slowly, "But instead it all went wrong and he..."

Yuriko wrapped her arms around Zero, "I'm so sorry..."

She knew how he must have felt...loosing a sibling is horrible, but loosing your twin was worse. Half of who you once were is gone forever...

"But...he came to me and...he told me to eat the last of his life..." He finally said, expecting Yuriko to let him go and look at him with disgust. But instead she held him tighter.

Zero pulled away from her arms and stood up. "Zero...?"

"I'm going to have a shower..." He mumbled, shuffling up stairs.

Yuriko continued sitting there, watching as Zero made his way upstairs until she couldn't see him anymore. When she heard the shower being turned on she burst into tears.

"Ichiru...I'm sorry...!" She whimpered, feeling nothing but guilt. She had thought that he was the bad guy all along when in reality he was just trying to get revenge for Zero, not on him. She shouldn't have treated him the way she did and if she could turn back time she wouldn't have shut him out the way she did.

"_It seems as though you've got nowhere to go either..."_ What did he mean by that...?

She flopped back down onto the couch, letting herself cry. She didn't really care anymore, she needed to cry and as the old Irish saying went; An rud a ghoilleas ar an gcroí caithfidh an t-súil é a shileas—What pains the heart must be washed away with tears.

When Yuriko opened her eyes again the living room had changed to a soft golden colour, "...afternoon...?"

"Yeah."

She lurched forward suddenly, "Oh...s'just you..." She gasped, looking back at Zero with relief. How long had he been sitting next to her? Wait a moment...was her head resting on his lap?

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine." She replied, "And you?"

"Mmm..." He mumbled, his eyes darting to the floor. "Yuriko...you don't have to hide it. You're frightened aren't you?"

Yuriko flinched. "You can hear things you've never heard before, you can see things more clearly, there are smells in the air you can't identify..." He started, "You'll get used to it in time...that is if you have time to get used to it..."

He was going back to that level E thing again. "Zero look…when that time comes, it comes and there's nothing we can do about it. Until then I'm just going to live my life and do the things that I want to-"

"I can't do it…" Zero mumbled quickly, reality hitting him like a ton of bricks. In the end…he would be alone. Completely and utterly alone. "I…won't kill you…I can't…"

No matter how many times he shoved Yuriko away she would always come back, there were days when he wished she would just shut the hell up and days when he didn't want to stop listening to her voice. Though she was overly excited all the time she never forgot about those around her. She would always be careful about what she said or did depending on who she was with. There was never a dull moment with her in high spirits. She'd been hurt, abused and broken down into tears but she always smiled. Now that he thought about it, she really was like an older sister. He never realized it but she was always protecting and caring for both him and Yuuki, very, very subtly. It was all the little things she did. Helping Yuuki with her homework, waiting until they were both alone and then she'd help Zero with his English. She knew Zero didn't like the fact that English was a subject he fell down on, she did tease him for it but she never flaunted the fact she could speak English fluently. She would explain everything bit by bit and then drilled it all into his brain. He never forgot a word she had taught him. She was always so…aware of everything. She knew when to do something. She knew when he wanted to be alone, and when he claimed he wanted to be alone when really he wanted some kind of company. He used to find that annoying.

And she was always so gentle and caring…from some point she became loving as well. No she was always a very caring, loving person. She didn't give a damn if someone was a human or a vampire, to her they were people with feelings. She just cared about everyone, and the fact that she got up and fought for the school was proof of that. The fact that she was now a vampire was proof of her dedication to other people, of how selfless she was and of how much she was willing to do whatever it was Zero would ask of her. No matter how scary it would be, no matter how much she wanted to fight she would actually abandon all of her morals just to please him.

"Zero…don't think of that please…"  
"Easier said then done, how can I not-"

Yuriko slid her arms around Zero's broad shoulders and pressed her cheek against his hair, "Don't think about it. Just act the way you want to around me while I'm still here, say the things you want to, do whatever it is you want to do with me. Don't waste your time sobbing over the fact that sooner or later I'll have to go, or when I really do go you'll regret everything…" She whispered softly.

She was so warm…her arms were small and breakable looking, but they were so warm. Her voice was soft and gentle. That was a word for her voice, it was gentle. Well when she wanted it to be.

Zero pulled away a little to look at her face, "Its okay now..." She said. His eyes seemed to soften as he rested his head against the side of her neck while he just held onto her tee-shirt.

He felt like he just couldn't go on anymore, Yuuki was gone forever. She was always there…but now she was gone for good and all he had left was Yuriko. He felt like he was in her shoes. He felt broken and torn apart, how was it that she managed to hide something so painful so well for so many years.

Yuriko said nothing but once again wrapped her arms around Zero's body, he sighed shakily and pressed his body closer to hers. Times like this Yuriko wished she was taller, poor Zero looked so awkward with his whole body bent over trying to get as close to her as possible.

Zero was starting to fall apart, she could feel it. These next few months would be long indeed, but she knew that all she had to do were little things as usual. Just smile and act like she normally would. For now she just held Zero close to her, and began murmuring soft reassuring words to him.

For Zero this was all he needed. This girl was all he had left, she was the only person he could run to, the only person he trusted enough to fall apart in her arms.

Yuriko was his only sanctuary.

…

…

...


	26. Epilogue Undisclosed Desires

Epilogue; Undisclosed Desires

Yuriko awoke sharply, gasping suddenly. But it wasn't because Zero was throwing a glass of water over her face as she had expected. No, her throat was in pure utter dry agony. She needed a drink so badly, she needed it. No…what she was craving was blood. Yuriko just kept forgetting she was a vampire…well almost forgetting. The moment she forgot, she was quickly reminded. Her throat was sore, dry and felt like it was…she couldn't find a word for it, but it hurt. She wanted a drink so damn much. It was worse than that time she was sitting in class during a really hot summer; for the people who had actually lived here. For Yuriko it was pure utter death. The teacher wouldn't let her drink anything, (it was miss Kuze after all) and she passed out from dehydration. But she remembered how much agony she was in then…well, the pain she was in now was nothing compared to back then. She tried swallowing a few times but it did nothing at all.

She heard footsteps and she knew in her gut it was Zero, so she tried to push it all back. No use. She could already smell his blood and a second feeling hit her like a basketball to the face. Her canines started throbbing and aching, she wanted to sink them into Zero's skin, and his skin alone. She could feel them extending at the thought of piercing that pale neck of his…Yuriko felt weirded out by it. She wasn't disgusted but she felt like it was wrong of her to think that, like it was…inhuman. But she wasn't human…so was it okay?

Her thoughts came to a sudden stop as the door clicked, "Yuriko…get up." and with those words she threw the sheets over her head. No way did she want Zero to see her like this…

"Okay, you and I both know we saw that. What's wrong?" Zero stated blatantly, walking over to her bed to sit on it. "Are you crying…?" He asked softly, just in case she was. Unlikely. She didn't cry once since that day, maybe she did while he was restlessly sleeping but…

"N-No…ow…ow…" She mumbled, her voice hoarse.

It hit him. Like a ton of bloody bricks, oh did it ever hit him hard. She needed blood. Badly, he could sense it. She was trying so very hard to keep it under control.

"Listen…I know your ashamed…and I know you probably don't want to, but you need to drink blood. Or at least take the blood tab-"  
"Can't take 'em…'ried twice…nuh' good…" She grunted, clutching the sheets tightly. She could smell his blood, not only that but she could hear it thudding away in his veins. It was so annoying…since that day her senses were a million times keener than they were, and she was taking far too much notice to the smell of Zero's blood in particular, and if it wasn't the smell it was the sound of his pulse. Just yesterday she almost attacked him…

Ah yes, she went to bed early because she just refused to stop taking an interest in Zero's neck and how unusually attractive it was, she started wondering what it would be like to sink her teeth into that incredible person, what he would taste like. Then she started about doing other things to him...and then she bolted from the room and hastily explained that she was tired, in other words she thought she could sleep this off like a headache. Apparently not.

Zero's look softened, now it was his turn to give her blood. "Yuriko…why didn't you say anything-"  
"Because I forgot okay!"  
"Liar."  
"Everybody lies, Zero hunny! Everybody lies!"

Zero tore the sheets from Yuriko's grip, literally. As he pulled the sheets back, he heard a rip. "…oops…" She mumbled, staring at the torn duvet which Zero was also staring at in amazement.

"…there's no way in hell you can deny it now."

Yuriko scowled, she didn't want to drink his blood. Not because she…didn't want to but because she didn't want to hurt him. The positions were reversed and both of them realized how annoying it must have been for the other.

"Sorry."

"Jinx!" Yuriko yelled, having said sorry at the same time as Zero. He raised an eyebrow, looking down at the woman laying on the bed. Her once blue optics now bright red as they followed the movement of Zero's neck as he moved in closer, to tempt her. She wouldn't bite him willingly even if she understood how annoying it was for Zero to have to force her.

"No…I'm…I'll…be...nnn…" She moaned quietly, giving into the pale neck being offered to her. She honestly didn't want to do this. It felt wrong and…inhuman. But she wasn't a human anymore and it still hadn't hit her properly. Although she wondered if blood tasted different to vampires…she remembered sometimes sucking on a paper cut to stop it from bleeding thus tormenting Zero. It tasted coppery and salty back then, she wondered if maybe now it'd taste different. Because all blood tasted the same to a human…

Yuriko paused, how was she supposed to bite him? Just bite him…or did she have to lick his neck first and then bite. He always did that to her… "Z-Zero…h-how does this work…?" She asked nervously, apparently not thirsty enough to be going insane.

He sighed, "Its up to you. Everyone has a different way of doing stuff…" Zero actually didn't know how to answer that question. Was there a right and wrong way to bite someone? And was this the wrong way? Yuriko was laying on her back on the bed and Zero was leaning over her, both palms pressed onto the mattress either side of her head, holding almost all of his weight off of the frail body beneath. She was close…extremely close. That thought triggered the bloodlust inside of him but he pushed it back. Now wasn't the time for him to take blood from her, hell he could never take blood from her ever again.  
His thoughts were interrupted as Yuriko made some kind of whimpering noise.

"Don't…want to…" She moaned again, shutting her eyes, in a final attempt to resist. This was pathetic, how long was Zero able to resist his instincts? Four years nearly, and Yuriko couldn't even last three weeks. Just a bit longer, she could stop herself a bit longer…couldn't she?

Zero pushed himself away from her to look down into her eyes. Her face was creased in pain and she was biting her lip making it bleed with the sharpness of her fangs. Obviously she had forgotten about those.

"Yuriko, just take my blood. I know how much it hurts to push it all back, I don't want to see you in that kind of pain so just…drink my blood. You'll feel a lot better." Zero said softly, he knew how to make her do whatever he wanted now. It was cruel and unfair but it was the only way to get her to bite him.

She didn't resist any longer as Zero pressed his neck to her mouth again, she just couldn't stop herself anymore. She bit him and really hard as well. She was thirsty enough not to be careful as to where she had bitten him because she ended up piercing his top as well. Not that he cared really, he was focused on making sure Yuriko got what she needed as well as keeping his own vampiric side taking over.

A vampire biting another vampire usually meant something intimate. Something about 'their thirst only being sedated by their loved one' or something like that. But there was more to it he was sure…

Right now he was only doing this to keep Yuriko alive, as long as she was alive he could go on. The day she died…well…it wasn't something he tried to think of. It was stupid as Yuriko had told him. All he had to do was be there for her, act like he would everyday with her. What was strange was that he noticed all of these little things about Yuriko, habits and the like. For example there was never a moment when she would properly relaxed. She was always doing something, be it listening to music or pacing around for no reason. She sometimes took naps throughout the day, something Zero never used to notice at all. She hummed a lot, but never sang out loud. She also couldn't sit still unless she was completely exhausted or too comfortable to move…

Yuriko couldn't help herself, she didn't want this to end. The blood i_did/i _taste different but it was so bizarre. She could actually i_taste/i _Zero. She could taste him, his essence, everything. His feelings, what he was thinking, what he had been thinking, all of it. She was just lost inside of Zero Kiryuu.

"Yuriko…enough…" He groaned softly, his voice urgent. He was starting to get way too aroused about this whole situation. He hadn't been bitten at all since Shizuka…but with Yuriko was different, so different. Her biting him was unbearable in a different way all together; unbearable in the sense that he didn't want her to stop. It felt insufferably erotic and just plain amazing, like…he didn't know how to describe it. But it felt so good, so very arousing, it was pushing his restraint on that bloodlust to the very edge and he was nearly tearing the hair from her head he was holding her that tightly, he was almost pushing her closer. Almost. He hadn't lost it, but he was a hairs breath away from loosing it. "Yuriko…! Stop!"  
She was snapped out of the trance and pulled back, too quickly. She accidentally forgot to ease her fangs out and ended up slicing through Zero's skin.

"Agh! Ahh! Fuck…! Shit…!" He yelled, holding his bloody neck, "You take your fangs out you fucking…! Jesus christ…!"

"Oh! Shit! I'm so sorry Zero! I-I didn't mean to…! Ah…! I'm sorry!"

He stormed out of the room.

Yuriko sat there, feeling incredibly guilty. She hadn't meant to hurt him so badly, it was just she had no idea how to bite someone. She felt horrible, she felt like crying. She hurt him…

She slowly made her way over to her mirror, her mouth was pretty much covered in blood. "…oh wow…"  
This morning was not her morning at all, in fact if Zero was pissed off with her all day, it wouldn't be her day.

...

Zero flicked the kettle on, absentmindedly bringing his finger tips to the place Yuriko had bitten him. It didn't hurt at all, except for when she tore his neck off. But he didn't blame her, she had no clue about how vampires worked let alone how to bite someone without hurting them. For the most part it felt almost…pleasant. He had liked that feeling, why he didn't know and blamed it on that hormone released in a vampire's salvia. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he had enjoyed it because it was Yuriko and because his vampire instincts were telling him to let her go further than just taking his blood…

"Ah…Zero."  
He was pulled from his thoughts as the ever guilty Yuriko stood in the doorway of the kitchen. Here it comes, he thought. "I'm so sorry for this morning! I didn't know what I was doing, I know it was common sense but I panicked and…I'm sorry…" She trailed off.

Zero sighed and walked over to her, "Its fine. You didn't know what you were doing, its not like I'm mad at you or anything. It was an accident and it was partly my fault for making it sound like you were sucking me dry when you weren't." He ruffled her short hair as he spoke.

In reality he could feel his bloodlust rising up and it was still there in the background but it wasn't as strong…yet. He could feel it welling up yet again in Yuriko's presence. Now that she had drank his blood she would certainly 'feel' him around. Her feelings for him would heighten because she had already loved him so much. Chances were she would end up getting bloodlust for him as well, but that was because she loved him. If she hadn't already that is…

"Oh…oh okay." She breathed, relived that she hadn't upset Zero. He shook his head and sighed, walking back over to the counter.

She was wearing that top she always seemed to wear, knitted-looking sweater with that bit that folded over at the top that made it look cool, or that's how Yuriko would always describe it. And honestly it did make her look a lot older, not to mention her generously tight fitting jeans…

Yuriko looked over at Zero and felt something come over her. It was new, scary and she didn't understand it at all. She wanted him, but it was strange. She really badly wanted him, she wanted to touch him, feel him, taste him…everything. She wanted to make him scream her name in pure utter…

"…you can do whatever you want with me."

She blinked, sure that she was just hearing things. "D-Did you say something?"

"Yeah…I said you can do whatever you want with me…" He paused slightly, "Right there you were feeling bloodlust...so…"

She blinked again, confused she asked; "What? What's bloodlust?" In a stupid tone of voice.

Zero gulped, this wasn't a subject he was overly fond of. Oh why did he have to tell her that she had bloodlust? Why didn't he just leave it with 'you can do what you want' why?

"Bloodlust is different from blood thirst. Obviously when your bloodthirsty you want blood to satisfy your thirst and really anyone will do…with bloodlust its different, extremely different…" He began slowly, knowing in his gut that he would regret this. "As the word lust suggests its to do with lusting after someone or even loving them. Back there you were thinking; _I want him_, right?"

She flushed bright red, "H-How-"  
"Because I could feel it, I could sense that…you uh…wanted me."

Oh wasn't that great, now Yuriko couldn't have sexual desires for the man she was madly in love with or he'd know. Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Anyway…you know what it is now. Its not that you want blood, its just called bloodlust because with vampires biting can be kind of a turn on-" He instantly regretted the words from his mouth.

"Oh…s-so…w-when I bit you back there…did…"

"…a bit…"

Awkward silence.

Why couldn't Zero just keep his mouth shut. It would have been better if she'd not known at all. He forgot about the coffee he was going to make for himself and ended up staring at the kitchen counter. The silence was never ending. One of them needed to say something…anything.

"Did you ever have bloodlust for someone?"  
Shit…

"Yeah…really badly too…" He answered quietly, his eyes never leaving the counter, his silver hair hanging down in an attempted to hide his burning red face.

"Over who?"

Double shit…

"…I…uh…well it was…" He mumbled, should he tell her? Or maybe he should lie and say…no he couldn't lie. He was an extremely good liar but… "It was you…because I…uh…f-find you extremely sexually attractive…so…"

Oh fuck, this couldn't go down well with her at all.

"Ah- W-What? Why? What part of me is sexy?" She asked obliviously.

"I…this is an uncomfortable subject can we please change it!" He snapped, lowering his posture a little.

"Your uncomfortable about sex?" Yuriko questioned.  
"No!"

"Well then why is it uncomfortable?"  
"Its not the sex part it's the…you…and me finding you…"  
Yuriko sighed, "Fine, I'll go first! I find you incredibly sexy, Zero. I'm not kidding. Everything you do, everything you say in whatever tone, everything you wear whatever. I find it sexy in one way or another. Hell, you make the Cross Academy uniform look sexy on you. Even what your wearing right now!" She gestured to the white top and plain old jeans, "Holy shit dude. I think around several times I've thought; Taaaaake offfff yooouuuur tooooooop. When your wearing the more tight fitting ones-"  
"Stop! Jesus…! You…! God…!"  
"Aww…am I embarrassing you?" She trilled, placing her hand on his forearm. "Oh and by the way, your really attractively lean and your ass-"  
"Please stop! I get it, you find me sexy!"

"Not just me hunny. Every single girl in the class has their eye on you, awaiting the day when you turn into a softy."

"Well they can piss off…I've got no interest in any girl right now."  
Yuriko raised an eyebrow, "Uh…huh, who was saying they had bloodlust for me?"

He gritted his teeth, he didn't want to say it out loud but he didn't see Yuriko as a girl anymore. She was a woman, she was too…grown up to be called a girl.

"I meant girl as in…their immature."  
Yuriko's face creased in confusion, "…so…are you saying that I'm mature…or…what?"

"Well…the way you acted back then, and even now its…kind of more grown-up. You actually make sense. You know what your doing and what to say in whatever situation…you really are a lot older than me…I…kind of…look up to you…" He trailed off a little, blushing even harder at that confession. But it was so true, over these past few days without Yuuki, she really was acting as a proper adult. She was doing so many things all at once…controlling her own emotions, vampiric desires and she was looking after Zero as well as the day class students who still hadn't left yet. (They were sent home early for the holidays because the school was still in a mess after that Rido incident) She was still doing her own chores, as well as Zero's half the time, actually she was pretty much doing everything for Zero. Helping in every way she could while trying to look after herself as well. He honestly wouldn't have been able to do all of that, maybe it was because she was a woman and could multi-task…but he knew that wasn't it. It was just Yuriko being responsible.

She smiled, "Thanks…its nice to know that you think so highly of me."

Zero looked over at her, she was beaming at him. She looked so happy that he had said that, her eyes were just shining and as blue as ever.

Then he noticed something, she had a small silver ring around the pupil of her eye, but it was only in one of her eyes, her right eye, her left eye was just a sea of light crystal blue. Framed by thick black eyelashes…Needless to say he couldn't look away from those eyes. They were just an open door, showing him everything about the woman in front of him…how broken she was, how much she needed help but at the same time it was like she was picking up the pieces bit by bit. She was trying to get stronger. He really did admire her determination but she didn't seem to get that she was a weak idiot who didn't know when to give up.

"…Zero? Is something…the matter?" Yuriko said, she felt strange. Zero was just staring at her, or was he looking into her eyes she couldn't tell. But it looked like he was looking at no one but her, like there was no one else in the universe but her. She could feel her face heating up and she turned her back to him, "Zero, lay off the drugs hunny. Seriously, you looked like you were a million miles away!" She joked.

He was snapped out of whatever trance he was in, "Oh…sorry." That…was embarrassing, she noticed that he was just boring into her eyes. It was just he never noticed how expressive they were…and he was just looking at them like a child from a hot country would look at snow…he was just in awe.

"I'm going to see what needs doing." She sighed to herself, walking out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Zero caught her shoulder suddenly, "Hm?" She questioned, looking back at him.  
"You…you've been working too hard lately. Maybe you should just take it easy today, leave it to me-"  
"No! No, no, no! I'm fine! If I was tired I'd have told you!"  
Yuriko knew…if she didn't constantly keep herself busy she would breakdown and that was something she didn't want to burden Zero with. She just needed to keep giving herself things to do…

"Yuriko…you've been working non-stop for days. You i_need/i _a break." He said, holding her shoulder more firmly. The look in his eyes said that if Yuriko didn't take a break he would throw her over his shoulder and tie her to the bed and i_make/i _her rest. Of course there was another image to do with tying the woman up but he pushed it out of his mind…well as far as he could get it anyway.

"I…fine…" She sighed, giving up. Yuriko didn't want to admit it but she was incredibly tired. She hadn't been sleeping well and like Zero had said; She was working non-stop. Always doing something, and it was getting to the point where she was running to and from the school looking for things to do. Actually she was organizing the library for a while but it started to bring back far too many memories of a certain blonde vampire that she once held so dear…

_i"I guess I won't see you later after all"/i_

That could have meant so many things…but that last smile confirmed that she would really never see him ever again…

"Yuriko?"  
She was pulled from whatever she was thinking about as she tuned to look back at Zero, "P-Pardon?"

His look soured a little, "What's wrong?"

The question that Yuriko had been avoiding for a while now. She didn't want to answer it for fear of bringing Zero down with after she was trying so hard to hold him up whether he realized it or not. She was pretending to be fine for his sake, smiling all the time and just trying to be lively. It was something she was used to but it hurt so much more now than she remembered it being.

"Nothing, why?"

Zero looked at Yuriko straight in the eyes, "The truth, Yuriko. You know you can't lie to me. You can't avoid this forever."

"Its nothing! There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Yuriko. If something's wrong then tell me, its not like I'll get angry at you for being upset."  
"Zero! I'm okay!"

"Yuriko…I know your not okay."

"I. Am. Grand."

"Your not-!"  
"Jesus Mary and Joseph! I said I'm fine!" Yuriko snapped, swatting Zero's hand away from her shoulder to turn around and glare at him. She instantly regretted it. The look on Zero's face wasn't exactly a picture of anger. He looked almost…hurt by what she had said, maybe even insulted.

"Fine then." He said simply, walking back into kitchen.

Feck.

She hadn't meant to come across as being so aggressive, but he wouldn't leave her be. She didn't want to talk about it, simple as. Alright, she knew that she had to talk about it or she'd explode but she didn't want to right now. It had only been a short time since Yuuki had left and Zero must have been upset.

Now he was even more upset because he thought that Yuriko was being a heartless bitch…but it wasn't her fault! He was being persistent!

"So are you just going to stand in the hallway looking guilty forever?"  
Jeez…what was with her spacing out so much today. She just couldn't stop it…actually she was spacing out right now. Again.

"Oh…right…wait, what am I supposed to do now?" She moaned, realizing just how dependent she had become on her apparent addiction to doing stuff. Usually she was addicted to doing nothing.

"…dunno…laze around like you used to do all the time?" Zero shrugged in return, leaning against the counter. He had totally forgotten why he has gone in there in the first place…it would come back to him eventually.

Zero looked over at Yuriko, she was grinning at him.

"Wh-what?"

"What, what?"

"Stop smiling at me like that…"

"Why? Does it make you nervous? Scared I have an evil plan of some kind?" Yuriko's grin grew even wider as she folded her arms across her chest.

"What…what are you planning?" He said slowly, looking at her carefully.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say that to see how you'd react! Jeez, you actually looked scared!" She laughed, pointing at the silver haired boy standing just a few inches across from her.

"I take it back, your still just a kid." Zero said flatly, looking away.

"Oh well, who wants to be an adult. The only fun in that is the alcohol, being drunk and going out clubbing. All three I have yet to do-"

"Not on my watch."  
Yuriko raised both her eyebrows, "Darling, I'm eighteen. Your only seventeen. Without an ID you won't be able to follow me in. Besides, you can't tell me what to do…" She trailed off as Zero walked over to her slowly. The little brunette sighed walked over to him as well, just because she could. She could only barely see over his shoulder.

"Oh! I grew! Yay!" She squeaked, remembering that she used to only reach his collar bone.

"That's not the point."  
Yuriko swore she saw a grin pulling at his lips before he started backing her up into the wall, he looked her straight in the eyes. He leaned in closer, until their foreheads were touching and he never looked away from her eyes and Yuriko couldn't bring her eyelids to shut. "You can't say no to me when I do something like this, can you?" He whispered softly, running the back of his hand down along one of her bare arms. And she shivered, getting goosebumps.

"That's not fair, you know exactly i_why/i _I can't say no w-when you do this to me." She replied quietly, unable to get her lungs to work properly with her heart running at two hundred kilometers per hour and she was unwilling to shove him away.

He found that taking that one little step back was ridiculously hard, damn bloodlust. "I was just saying, I i_can/i_ tell you what to do. Also you have to be twenty one to drink or go clubbing. " He almost smirked, with an annoying kind of state-the-obvious tone that set Yuriko's teeth on edge.

"Oh shut up!" She snapped, turning on her heel to walk up the stairs and into her room.

Alright, she'd never admit this out loud but if Zero asked her not to go in even the right kind of tone of voice…she would probably i_not/i _go. That boy had more power over he than he thought he did, or maybe he did know but didn't want to use it because it was cruel. Like what he had done back there. Of course he was just trying to tell her what she already knew.

Yuriko sat on her bed for a moment, before finally deciding to lay on it instead, hoping she wouldn't fall asleep this time. Highly unlikely. She loved her bed far too much, she would just sleep in it for hours on end and as Zero had pointed out earlier; she wouldn't be able to sleep later at night when she was supposed to. Well…technically she should be sleeping during the day anyway, she was a vampire wasn't she?  
It wouldn't sink in…the fact that she wasn't a human anymore. That she was actually a vampire. Her senses were getting keener by the day, actually she could hear Zero moving around downstairs. And she could hear the sounds of the kettle being turned on and so on. It still annoyed her how she could hear and smell everything, it was stupid. And on top of everything else her libido had decided to increase ten fold, and it seemed to love reacting to Zero. Actually she could feel him around, as in she could sense his presence and it often made her want to smile. It made her feel…cliché as it was; 'warm and fuzzy' inside. Excited sometimes, scared every now and again but she would usually just feel complete utter adoration. While she was drinking his blood she just felt like she was floating high on a drug that was pure Zero. "Wow…that would be a good name for a drug wouldn't it…" She mumbled in amusement to herself as her thoughts continued wandering around from one thing to the next.

She heard a knock on the door, "Yeees, Zero?"

"Do you want tea…sit up for gods sakes." He groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Yes I would love some tea darling, and no I will not sit up. What else am I supposed to do all day? I'm supposed to be resting remember~?" She trilled, waving her hand around in the air.

Zero trudged over to her, pulling her up into a standing position, "Oh- Fucking- Jesus Christ on a cracker!" She spluttered, as she stumbled to her feet and into Zero's waiting arms.

"Did you just say…" He mumbled, the things that came out of Yuriko's mouth sometimes were astonishing…

"W-Why did you do that? You scared the crap out of me!" She accused, looking up at the silver haired boy.

"Do I have to repeat myself…? You won't sleep tonight if you sleep now! And I apologize for scaring you." He sighed, patting her head lightly, half way mocking her.

"Bleh…" She muttered, leaning against Zero, "If I can't sleep then I shall stay here…"

"If you stay here I can't make you tea, idiot."  
"…eemmm…you're better than tea…"

"Should I be flattered by that?"

"Very, mister Kiryuu, very."

Rather than leaving Yuriko awkwardly leaning against him, Zero wrapped his arms around her without a word. And she eventually followed his lead and slid her arms around his waist…well as far as they could go. She may have grown an inch or two but she was still pretty sure she was a short arse for someone her age.

It was somehow nice, just to be simply hugging Zero. She could feel his body heat and the hard muscles that were underneath the top he was wearing, she could hear his heart beat and the sounds of him taking one breath after another. Yuriko felt safe like this, just being in this person's arms.

"You should go out, get some air." His voice was deep and had its usual husky ring to it…wait, it sounded hoarse not husky…did he have a cold? Could vampires get colds?

Zero gently pushed Yuriko away. Great, his bloodlust was at the point where even being in the same room as her could mean that he'd loose it. A hug just pushed him too far, but it wasn't to say he didn't enjoy it. Truth be said but he never really got very many hugs, surprised? Not really. Bar that time Yuriko broke down in his arms crying, he never counted those as hugs…he was just trying to comfort her. However that was a proper hug. She was a little cooler compared to him but she was warm all the same, as in he could almost feel the affection pouring from her. She was so small, so fragile, like he could break her if he just touched her…oh dear god he wanted to touch her. Even if just for a second…

And before he could stop himself he was trailing his hand up one of Yuriko's bare arms and brought it to gently caress her cheek, then brush some of her hair back gently.

"…o-or we could just stay here." She said slowly, bringing her own hand up to touch Zero's, unable to bring herself not to do so. It felt…right for some reason. She felt like…she knew what would happen next if she kept that up but she didn't care. She didn't mind so long as it was Zero. Even if it meant nothing in the end, if it was Zero that it was okay with her.

"I like that idea…"

...

Bad idea. Oh god that was such a bad idea. Zero hated having bloodlust for her, it was stupid and what it lead to hurt Yuriko in the end. He was trying so desperately to stop himself, but his body wouldn't listen.

And now it was around ten o' clock at night, he was laying on top of a naked Yuriko and he himself was totally naked. Oh, and he'd taken what little virginity they both had left. And he felt horrible for it, he remembered every last detail of it. From where he pushed her onto the bed, to taking her clothes off, to biting and drinking her blood and then how he'd penetrated her, slowly, bit by bit, inch by inch…and how he'd enjoyed it way too much. He couldn't tell if she was alright…sure it was supposed to hurt her the first time wasn't it? In any case when he'd finally climaxed he just collapsed on top of her, nuzzled his face into her neck and fell fast asleep for six hours.  
He still had his face buried in her neck, ashamed of himself. They were both sticky, and slightly sweaty. All of this was because he couldn't control himself for a few more seconds, he'd given in. Now it was just going to be ten times as hard to control it. Not only did he have bloodlust for her, but he'd done the stupidest thing you could do if you were a vampire. To drink a vampire's blood and have your blood drank by that same vampire in return. Drinking the blood of another vampire was considered a sign of affection enough already, but with what he'd done…

"…mnnh…" Yuriko stirred a little in her sleep, and Zero found himself petting her hair while whispering soothing words into her ear. The least he could do was let her sleep a while longer, besides he still needed to gather his thoughts together before he could face her properly.

He didn't remember the name of it, something like blood-tie but fancier. As the name suggested they were now tied by blood to each other but it was so confusing, not even he got it. It was emotional as well as physical and Zero- being the genius he thought he was at fourteen- didn't pay attention to the whole blood-tie, bloodlust thing. He'd found out about bloodlust through experience, and now he was about to learn the same with blood-ties. God what were the actually called again? Oh well…he'd just call it a blood-tie for now.

Zero knew that Yuriko would give him the same lecture as before; Its done, forget about it. Yeah, easier said than done this time around…

Yuriko stirred again, this time she opened her eyes a little bit and was content to let them slide shut once again as she moaned in some kind of protest as if arguing with herself, before finally waking up properly.

"…Zero?" She whispered, wondering if he was awake or not. The last three times she had properly woken up like this he had still been fast asleep.

"What?" He replied, his voice sounding a bit hoarser than he would have liked.

"Are you okay?" What a stupid question, of course he wasn't okay. He was probably having one of his 'its all my fault' thinking sessions again. Truth be said they were both at fault, Yuriko _could _have stopped him whenever she wanted to…but she didn't. She couldn't quite describe it but she was pretty sure she was high on…what was it called- bloodlust.  
"That's my line, I wasn't exactly…gentle was I?"

"Well…no…but I'm fine." Which was true, she was fine now. She would feel a bit better if Zero realized that he was still inside her…what a reaction that would cause.

"I mean its supposed to hurt the first time…and the fact that I was so rough with you didn't help that. I-"  
"Although I love your guilt rants Zero, I would much appreciate if you noticed the fact that I can't sleep on my back let alone sleep with your penis still-"  
"Shit, I'm so sorry…! I-I just kind of-"  
"Yeah right, now just-" Before Yuriko could continue speaking, she cut herself off with a moan as Zero pushed himself off her, accidentally pushing his still hard-as-hell erection inside of her. Sparks of pleasure sparked in both of them, but Zero bit his lip, refusing to let the pleasured mewl escape his lips as he finally pulled out of her. He wasn't even…sensible enough to take his damned erection out of her. He suddenly found himself wondering if she'd been sleeping at all, if he'd been hurting her while he slept quite blissfully.

"Sorry…" He grunted, looking far too guilty for Yuriko's liking.

"Mmm! Its okay…I'm fine, Zero." She smiled. And somewhere in the back of Zero's mind he knew he wouldn't forget that smile…it looked endearing, she looked so innocent even after what they had done.

"Right…so…" He trailed off, unsure of what to say to her now.

"If you could lie on your side…you know, with your back to the wall so I could…"  
"Oh…okay, but don't you want me to go back to my own bed-"  
"Zero. Your naked, sticky and your hair is a total mess. Do you really want to walk down that corridor?" Yuriko sighed, pushing Zero onto his side somehow.  
She always slept facing the wall but this time she was going to have to face Zero. Honestly though, he made a strangely endearing yet hot picture. His hair was tousled, and in a total mess. He looked tired but confused and guilty at the same time, it all showed in his eyes…

"Zero…you can feel as guilty as you want to but the fact is we're both at fault here. I could have stopped you whenever I wanted to but I didn't…I don't know why, but I just couldn't…I…I didn't want to." She said gently, placing her hand on Zero's bare shoulder. "It's the same for you right? You could have stopped but you didn't want to. Its…just the way people work, sex is like a drug but…no…wait it can be dangerous…hmm-"  
"Fuck!" Zero hissed, face palming as yet another reality hit him. "What happens if…if your…if you have a kid…?" The shock started to sink in, what would he do if Yuriko was with child? What would happen if she fell to a level E before she was due? Or what would their child be if they were both level D's- wait it would just be an ordinary vampire…so how was Yuriko supposed to feed it? Would it feed on her blood while it was still inside of her? Would she fall to a level E faster?

"…Zero…Zero! Come back down to earth for fucks sakes! I said I'm on the pill!"  
"What? Since when? Why?" He snapped, looking outraged and…well like a parent finding out their fourteen year old just had sex…or something.

"Since I thought me and Ichiru were going to have sex…" She trailed off, feeling almost guilty for the stunt she pulled when he came over for dinner.

"Oh…I see…" They both kept trailing off.

"I'll use the showers in the sun dorms tomorrow morning, you can use the one in the house, if you want." Yuriko suddenly offered. All she had to do was throw a top and a pair of jeans on, and she could just go off to the dorms. They weren't that far away.

"Yeah…but couldn't we just shower together-?"  
"What?" Yuriko snapped, looking embarrassed, confused and offended all in one. "Look I know your culture is different to mine, and I accept and love lots of it, but the showering together thing I have never understood, maybe if-!"  
"Yuriko, in case you have failed to notice, we are both naked."

"Well done captain obvious. I have noticed that, but it makes-"  
"For Christ sakes! We've seen each other naked, we've had sex! I don't see what the problem is-"  
"One. I'm a girl. Two. You're a boy. And three, we're both vampires with ridiculously overactive sex drives. That shower together would last long enough for all the hot water to be gone, and maybe some of the cold water too."  
"Ah…"

And then there was more silence. Zero brooded on that thought for a while. He knew in his gut that would happen, how could he control himself around a naked, soaking wet Yuriko…

"I win." Yuriko grinned, moving closer to Zero. He silently wrapped his arms around her, half pulling her closer as well.

"Goodnight…" Zero could almost hear her smiling, "…'night"

...

...

...

**End. Deireadh. おわり。**


End file.
